UpdateBraskem PP plant in West Virginia operating despite strike

17 August 2010 20:16  [Source: ICIS news]

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HOUSTON (ICIS)--Workers at Braskem’s polypropylene (PP) plant in Neal, West Virginia, went on strike on Monday, but the plant will remain operational, the company said on Tuesday.

“Since Monday morning, our plant has been operated by salary employees and our customers will not experience any change in the service they have come to expect from Braskem,” vice president of manufacturing Chris Bland said in a media statement.

The workers were citing disagreements with a new contract, according to news reports.

Braskem had been in contract negotiations for several weeks with representatives of United Steelworkers Local 721 and is committed to continuing talks with the union on a multi-year agreement, the statement said.

A spokesperson for the United Steelworkers (USW) did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

The strike began after members of the union rejected the company's latest contract offer, which would cover 72 workers at the plant, the Associated Press said.

The Neal plant has PP capacity of 210,000 tonnes/year.

For more on Braskem's Neal plant, visit ICIS plants and projects
For more on polypropylene visit ICIS chemical intelligence
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By: David Barry
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