It is reported that the global economic crisis has put a further 100 Sault Ste Marie steelworkers on indefinite layoff.

Ms Brenda Stenta manager of corporate communications at Essar Steel Algoma Inc said that the number of employees on indefinite layoff had reached 600, an increase of about 100 layoffs from the previous week.

The number of laid off workers fluctuate weekly, depending on product demand, and customers have been cutting back on orders since the crisis began more than six months ago.

Essar Algoma, which placed its entire 3,500 member workforce on layoff notice in October, began laying off its hourly employees in January with an initial wave of 130 employment termination notices.

Meanwhile, nearly 450 hourly production and service personnel at Tenaris Algoma Tubes Inc are into their fourth week of a scheduled 6 week shutdown, due to the economic crisis, at Canada's only seamless tube facility.

(Sourced from www.northbaynugget.ca)