Shell Canada has confirmed "a number of positions" will be "reduced" to lower operating costs.
Sarnia News Today was contacted by individuals last week, who reported the company was laying off salary and hourly workers at the Sarnia Manufacturing Centre in Corunna as part of a restructuring.
When contacted, the company replied with this statement.
“As part of Shell’s strategy update last June, we said our focus will be on performance and simplification with the aim to improve value, which includes reducing operating costs of between $2 to $3 billion," a Shell spokesperson wrote. "Achieving those reductions will require a simpler, more efficient and focused organization, which of course involves some tough decisions and reducing a number of positions.”
The spokesperson included further background when asked how many workers were affected, if the layoffs only impacted local employees, and if operations would be impacted.
"No formal targets exist in terms of the number of jobs involved, and individuals without roles will have the opportunity to post for other jobs within Shell. The current restructuring will have no impact to operations and will create a simpler organization that is more competitive in the long run."
The Associated Press reported on February 1, 2024 that the oil giant "saw profits tumble by nearly a third in 2023 as a result of lower oil and natural gas prices, which had surged the year before in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine."
The American not-for-profit news agency said the London-based company's post-tax earnings fell 29%, to $28.3 billion from the previous year’s all-time high of $40 billion.
