LyondellBasell workers vote to extend strike until Oct. 10 on company's Sept. 27 decision to close Berre, France, plant

Alison Gallant

LOS ANGELES , October 7, 2011 (Industry Intelligence) – LyondellBasell Industries NV employees voted Oct. 7 to extend a strike at a company refinery in Berre, France, Bloomberg reported, citing union sources.

Employees initiated the strike, which they plan to extend until Oct. 10, after the Rotterdam, Netherlands-based company announced Sept. 27 that the plant would be closed. The decision to close the plant came after the company failed to find a buyer.

The Sept. 27 announcement was the third in a year and a half as producers in France look to reduce capacity amid softening demand and shrinking margins.

Jacques Dupoux, a union spokesman, told Bloomberg that negotiations between unions and management will start in Paris. Dupoux added that local politicians and unions would be holding discussions Oct. 10 regarding the future of the petrochemical industry in the region.

The primary source of this article is Bloomberg, New York, New York, Oct. 7, 2011.

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