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Almost 300 jobs at risk at Barry chemicals factory

Huw Thomas
Business correspondent, BBC Wales
Getty Images A worker squeezing a grey-coloured silicone sealant on to a metal bar.Getty Images
Dow plans to close part of its Barry site where it makes the raw ingredients for silicone products such as sealants

Chemicals company Dow says 291 jobs are at risk at its Barry site as it plans to close its basics siloxanes plant.

Dow said the "potential outcome" was the result of "an assessment of its European assets," and the jobs would go over the next three to four years.

Siloxanes are chemical compounds made of silicone and oxygen and are the building blocks of the silicones found in sealants and adhesives.

Other areas of the operation in the Vale of Glamorgan factory will be unaffected but the union representing workers has criticised the proposals.

The Unite union said the plan to cut jobs was "outrageous" and would have a "devastating" impact on staff.

Around 850 people currently work at the site on Cardiff Road, Barry, which has been producing chemicals since the 1940s.

Since 2016 it has been wholly owned by the American chemicals company Dow.

The company told BBC Wales that an assessment of its European operations had "identified the basics siloxanes operations at Barry" as requiring "further action".

It said "the potential outcome identified at this time for Dow's basics siloxanes operations at Barry is a shutdown".

Dow added that the "potential shutdown would help strengthen the company's competitive position in the specialty silicones market in Europe and the UK.

"The production of specialty silicones in Barry will continue, supporting key markets such as automotive, electronics, energy, construction, and personal care."

Getty Images The red diamond logo of Dow chemicals on the side of an unknown building.Getty Images
The global chemicals firm said the job losses in Barry were the result of an "assessment" of its European sites

The union Unite, which represents workers in Barry, said Dow had been confronted by "cheap competition from China" and its products were no longer competitive.

Unite leader Sharon Graham said it was "outrageous that valued workers are being punished" because of changes in the international chemicals market.

"The potential loss of so many well paid jobs in the area will be devastating, not just to our members and their families, but to the local economy as well," she said.

The union's regional officer, Richard Jackson, called on Dow "to reconsider its decision and work with us, government and other stakeholders to find an alternative solution to this closure."