A union representing scientists employed by the Canadian government says that layoffs announced on May 31 by Atomic Energy of Canada (AECL) in its research and technology division are "poorly timed."
The Canadian Press reported that the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC) union, which represents government scientists, said AECL laid off about 50 employees at its Chalk River National Research Universal (NRU) nuclear reactor in Chalk River, Ontario.
The facility, which manufactures and supplies approximately 50% of the demand for the radioisotope molybdenum-99 in North America, has been offline since May 2009 following a major water leak. Repairs began in December 2009 and currently are approximately 77% complete.
In a written statement, PIPSC president Gary Corbett asserted that "any cost savings achieved through these layoffs will be dwarfed by the revenues lost as a consequence of the reactor remaining offline, project overruns, and significant employee termination costs."
He also asked ACEL to "immediately reverse its decision."
The union represents approximately 57,000 professionals across Canada's public sector, including 750 professional engineers and scientists at AECL.
Related Reading
AECL: Repairs to NRU reactor on schedule, May 7, 2010
AECL delays NRU restart to late July, March 26, 2010
SNM warns of 'significant disruptions' in Mo-99 supply, March 22, 2010
AECL delays NRU restart to May, March 12, 2010
Canada to invest again in AECL, March 5, 2010
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