Sibanye Stillwater says it needs government support to compete with foreign producers that pay workers less and abide by looser environmental regulations.
Sibanye Stillwater, the South African company that operates the nation’s only major palladium mine in south-central Montana, said Thursday that it plans to lay off about 40% of its Montana workforce as it scales back its operation in an effort to offset losses caused by low metal prices.
In a letter to workers, U.S. Executive Vice President Kevin Robertson said the company will halt mining at the west section of its Stillwater mine southwest of Columbus until prices rise.
It also plans to restructure operations at its East Boulder mine south of Big Timber and its Columbus-area processing and recycling plant. In total, Robertson wrote, layoffs will reduce the company’s current workforce of 1,680 to “just under 1,000” starting Nov. 12.
For the rest of this article: https://montanafreepress.org/2024/09/12/stillwater-mine-cut-production-lay-off-700-workers-low-metal-prices-losses/