Mosaic laying off 395 workers at Colonsay mine

Mosaic issued 395 layoff notices to workers at its Colonsay potash mine on Tuesday morning, as the company announced it would be shutting down operations at the mine until market conditions improved.

About 50 workers who received notices will be retained to run maintenance until the mine is reopened.

Mosaic spokesperson Sarah Fedorchuk told 650 CKOM the shutdown was due to a challenging North American market, driven by one of the wettest springs ever in the U.S.

She said many farmers never got crops in the ground, or planted so late they wouldn’t need as much fertilizer through the season.

The company is hoping to reduce its inventory by reducing production.

Workers were told their last day of work would be Sept. 9.