The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

Morton Salt yesterday said it could give no date for when its operations on Inagua will fully resume, but pledged to do so "as soon as safely possible".

The company, in a statement, said: "At Morton Salt, the safety and security of our employees are of the utmost importance. That's why we closely monitored Hurricane Irma and activated our emergency response plans and protocols in preparation for the storm. Once we confirmed the area was secure and all of our employees were safe, our specialised team arrived to Inagua to conduct a full assessment of our operations."

It added: "Given that this process is still underway, we cannot provide specific details on the extent of the damage or provide a specific timeline on when operations will resume. Our assessment was also put on hold for several days due to the potential threat of Hurricane Maria last week.

"Morton Salt is committed to its presence on Inagua, and we intend to resume operations there as soon as safely possible."

Jennifer Brown, head of the Bahamas Industrial Manufacturers and Allied Workers Union (BIMAWU), told Tribune Business earlier this week that staff have been reengaged by the company on a three-day work week.

"Right now, everyone is trying to get the plant back up and running. The company is trying to provide work for them, so a lot of persons are not working in areas where they normally work; they may be doing maintenance or repair work right now," she said.