The “Corona” impact: ALVANCE British Aluminium smelter in Lochaber to lay-off workers

ALVANCE British Aluminium has confirmed plans to lay-off 30 to 40 of its workers at the Lochaber smelter in Fort William in response to the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic.

The company stated that it is closely tracking the impact of the pandemic and has been adjusting operations to address the challenges caused by the coronavirus situation, with the safety of its 140 employees as its top priority.

All precautionary measures have been taken at the smelter and hydropower station to make certain that the welfare of those working on-site – including additional hygiene measures and guidelines to maximise social distancing.

Alvanche said from a business perspective: “The smelter has been adjusting production to meet the demand for aluminium, which has been impacted by what it described as a slowdown in operations at several key customers.”

The British Aluminium, a part of metals industry tycoon Sanjeev Gupta’s GFG Alliance group of companies, stated: “In response to market conditions, ALVANCE has made the difficult decision to furlough 30 to 40 employees. This is a temporary measure and those affected will continue to receive 80% of their salary.”

ALVANCE aspires to take the opportunity of the Government’s Job Retention Scheme, although the statutory cap on lay-off wages will not be applied with ALVANCE making up any shortfall to achieve the 80% of salary where required.

Tom Uppington, GM, ALVANCE British Aluminium, said: “It’s vital that operations at the Lochaber smelter continue at a manageable level throughout this crisis. The business is important to the regional economy and even though orders are down from some of our clients, we continue to support others producing essential materials for pharmaceuticals and food packaging.”

“As a responsible employer, we need to balance the welfare of our people with the need to protect the long-term sustainability of the business. These furloughs are a temporary measure and we hope to return to business as usual soon. We are grateful for the support and understanding of our employees, customers, suppliers, unions and the Lochaber community.”