On Monday August, 19 and Thursday August 22, the Koniambo Nickel Work Council organised two ‘Goodbye Days” for Koniambo Nickel employees at the Living Base Site in Vavouto.
As announced in a press release dated July 26, the redundancy procedures for economic reasons take effect from August, 31, 2024 for almost all the 1,200 employees at the site.
As a reminder, on 29th February 2024, the Koniambo Nickel Site was put on warm standby, with the retention of the entire salaried employees, paid by Glencore for a period of 6 months, i.e. until 31st August 2024. This agreement was reached thanks to the joint efforts of Glencore, SMSP and KNS.
At the beginning of June, as required by law, the 3-month redundancy proceedings were nevertheless launched, while the search for a buyer was still underway.
Unfortunately, despite discussions and efforts to find a buyer, the 6-month period came to an end on 31st August. On July 26, Koniambo Nickel announced the arrangements for terminating the employment contracts of its 1,200 employees.
Now that negotiations on severance packages have been completed and an agreement signed, the Work Council wanted to mark the end of this period in a more enjoyable way.
According to Frédéric NARCISSOT, the Work Council organised two dedicated days on Monday 19 August and Thursday 22 August to get together and share a last moment together. He also said that it was a way of bringing everyone together and measuring with pride the extensive scale of the journey undertaken.
During these two days, employees were able to come to the Living Base Site and share a number of activities and moments of sport and enjoyableness.
A bingo activity particularly mobilised the workforce with gifts that were worth the seriousness that could be seen on the faces. The prizes included mobile phones, connected watches and gift vouchers.
Competitors and customers were able to meet up on the football and volleyball fields adjacent to the Living-Base Site for friendly matches, while others took advantage of the baby-foot and tennis tables in the Recreation Room.
Sarah GUERBER-CAHUZAC, as of the KNS Communications Department, proposed a related wheel game for the winning players to be rewarded with KNS goodies.
The Magik Miror NC Service Provider was also on board to offer everyone the chance to immortalise moments as a team or as a stunning pair. It was an essential part of the day, even for those who were reluctant to be taken in photos.
The service provider DJ Auguste and teams offered quality bingo entertainment, as well as spot karaoke performances. Admittedly, the shy volunteers didn’t push each other, but there’s no doubt that the crowd’s support for the bravest created a warm and relaxed atmosphere.
And on the second day, the whole crowd joined in for one last dance together. The emotions no doubt gripped everyone present. A last dance to say goodbye. Around thirty employees, both accomplished and those more or less hesitant, got together on the same dance floor to shake-dance to the same Madison rhythm. The rest of the crowd cheered them on and joined in with their whistles and applauds. It was a festive atmosphere that reflected the dignity of the employees, who know that the future will be difficult, but New Caledonia is a country of warriors and pioneers, and it is together that we will bounce back.
Visits to the Plant and the Mine were also arranged, a way for the workforce to discover other facets of this site rich in history, and unique in its infrastructure with a mine, one of the longest conveyors in the world, a dedicated power station and a deep-water port.
During the visit to the mine, visitors were able to assess the enormous amount of cleaning work carried out by the teams.
While Jean-Christophe PONGA described the chemical requirements and the need to mix the ore to feed the plant, the most beautiful massif of Koniambo stretched majestically before the eyes of visitors over kilometres of mining space, as if to remind them of the treasures in its bowels. Trucks and shovels are now parked in the docks and dedicated areas.
SMSP, the majority and local shareholder of the Northern Plant, made the trip and is present with its communications team, and above all with its Chairman and CEO Karl THERBY.
Karl THERBY made sure to address the teams who attended the two-days event, underlining his admiration for the KNS workforce, which has consistently demonstrated the quality of the human resources at the North Plant over the past 6 months. He thanked all of them, including the subcontractors, who were the first to be impacted in February when the plant was shut down. He highlighted the strength, dignity and resilience of the employees, who have never ceased to protect their work tool. He also pointed out that the SMSP was pursuing its efforts with the groups that had shown an interest in the site with a view to resuming operations at a later date.
As Karl THERBY emphasised, he does not wish to ‘sell the dream’, but the project has emerged from the ground thanks to the will of the local population and all the stakeholders, and more than an economic and industrial tool, KNS is also the symbol of a bet on the future and on a peaceful upcoming mindset. He believes in the ability of the site and its employees to bounce back and build a future for tomorrow.
The SMSP Communications Team organised a quiz with questions on KNS history and organisation within the SMSP Group, giving employees the chance to win and be rewarded with SMSP and SNNC goodies.
These days were also an opportunity for the SMSP Group to recall the foundations of the Group’s History of the group including Koniambo Nickel.
While 31st August promises to mark the end of a whole era for many employees, they remain positive. Most of them are feeling ‘a twinge of sadness’ and ‘nostalgia’, but as some of them put it, ‘we still want to believe’ in a ‘tomorrow’, even if they are well aware that it won’t be soon.
In the meantime, the SMSP Group extends its sincere and warm thanks to the employees of Koniambo Nickel for these two days, and for these 20 years. The group is pursuing its undertakings and is dedicating all its efforts to the continued selection of a buyer.
We hope to see you all very soon!