Brazilian pellet producer Samarco, a 50/50 joint venture between Vale and BHP Billiton, has laid off 600 workers as part of the company’s plan to reduce workforce during an extended halt in operations.
According to media reports, the company has launched a voluntary dismissal program twice, and has now reached its goal of dismissing half of its workers.
Currently, the company has 1,135 workers in the cities of Mariana, Minas Gerais state and Anchieta, Espirito Santo state.