Nutrien Ltd. announced on Wednesday morning that they would be laying off 80 people at the Vanscoy potash mine.
The company says 50 of the affected positions are hourly positions.
The layoffs come as Nutrien “rebalances” potash production.
“This is a difficult day for our employees and their families, and we are committed to easing the transition for our impacted employees,” said Susan Jones, President of Nutrien Potash in a written release. “The changes will position Vanscoy to operate more efficiently within Nutrien’s entire potash network and ensure we can competitively serve our customers on a long-term basis.
Nutrien says they will provide severance packages and transition programs for affected families. The company says they expect to have between 50 and 70 vacancies at other Saskatchewan potash mines in 2018.
The Vanscoy mine still has 585 employees at the site.
