Paper: At least 30 people lost jobs at M.V.Wool in Listeria crisis
Following a Listeria crisis that led to an injunction from the Veterinary and Food Board (VTA) forcing them to temporarily shut down production at both of its plants in Harku and Vihterpalu, 125 employees of fish producer M.V.Wool received layoff notices ahead of the holidays, at least 75 of which have since been reinstated or can hope to hang onto their jobs.
Since receiving the injunction, M.V.Wool conducted deep cleanings of both its plants and tested clean for Listeria, fulfilling the requirements of the injunction and ultimately being allowed to resume operations, at least initially sparing 45 employees at its Harku plant and 30 at its Vihterpalu plant from being laid off, but at least 30-32 employees are nonetheless slated to lose their jobs, the online portal of weekly Maaleht writes (link in Estonian).
AS M.V.Wool board chairman Mati Vetevool isn't very optimistic, however, as the fate of the company and its employees still rests in the hands of the VTA, and while many employees have been spared from being laid off for now, subsequent rounds of layoffs are already scheduled for mid-February and mid-March.
Vetevool noted that the return to pre-crisis production volumes will be affected by several other factors as well, not just the matter of employees.
"But if everything goes well and we are allowed to restore production, then it will definitely take at least a year, year and a half to return to precrisis levels," he added.
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Editor: Aili Vahtla
