JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) - More than 260 Alaska workers are expected to be laid off at the end of next month as the BP oil company ends a contract with Mistras Group Inc.
Alaska’s Energy Desk reports the New Jersey-based contractor announced the terminations last month in a report sent to the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development.
The report says the layoffs include 236 workers at Prudhoe Bay. Of the total layoffs, more than 180 workers were union members.
The company performed inspections on pipelines and other infrastructure for BP.
BP officials say the contract was cancelled to reduce costs as oil prices remain low. BP awarded a new contract to Anchorage-based Kakivik.
Kakivik officials say the company will hire more than 200 workers to fill the contract and has reached out to the workers facing layoffs.
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This story has been corrected to reflect that the contractor is laying off employees, not BP.
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Information from: KTOO-FM, http://www.ktoo.org
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