By our Staff Writer
The Management of Liberia’s largest rubber plantation, Firestone in Harbel, Margibi County on Thursday announced the continuation of its mass redundancy of workers, with 112 being the latest batch to take their exit.
The current number of over one hundred Firestone workers leaving the company is part of the 13% workforce reduction the company announced earlier this year, as the total number being redundant is over 800.
“As part of the ongoing strategic review of its current operations in Liberia, West Africa, Firestone Natural Rubber Company, an indirect subsidiary of Bridgestone Americas, Inc., will implement the next step in the workforce reduction announced earlier this year at its Firestone Liberia, Inc. operation,” the Firestone management said in a press release issued on Thursday, July 18, 2019.
The release, signed by Firestone’s Communications chief, Mr. Patrick Honnah, said retirements, the discontinuation of certain work contracts, and redundancies will see the company’s workforce reduced by 112 employees.
The ongoing lay off of workers at this huge rubber plantation comes as other companies in Liberia has been carrying out redundancies of hundreds of their workers, including the Sime Darby oil palm company in Bomi and Grand Cape Mount counties, MNG Gold in Bong County, among others due to serious economic meltdown.
Just this week, Sime Darby’s management confirmed the laying off of some 350 of its employees.
According to the Firestone natural rubber company, which has been operating in Liberia since 1926, this action is in keeping with the company’s announced 13% workforce reduction in the first quarter of 2019. This workforce reduction is necessary to address the continued and unsustainable losses associated with the company’s current business operations.
The company said its press release that Firestone Liberia has been working closely with the Ministry of Labor and the Agricultural Agro-Processing and the Industrial Workers Union of Liberia (AAIWUL) to ensure that employees made redundant as part of this action will be done so in accordance with all applicable Liberian labor laws, company policies, and the company’s collective bargaining agreement with AAIWUL.
Meanwhile, Firestone Liberia says it will continue to evaluate all aspects of its business to help ensure long-term competitiveness and determine the best allocation of company resources to optimize our portfolio, processes and culture.
The natural rubber production facility in Harbel was first established by Firestone Tyre & Rubber Company in 1926, although this company has over the past close to a century is yet to add value to the raw rubber by either making a single tyre or rubber band.
According to a company’s report, Firestone Liberia operates a 118,000-acre rubber growing and processing facility, employing approximately 6,000 teammates who harvest and process natural rubber. After processing, the natural rubber is shipped to Bridgestone Americas’ tire plants in North America for the manufacture of tires. Firestone Natural Rubber Company, LLC is an indirect subsidiary of Bridgestone Americas, Inc.