The Trbovlje city council has expressed its support for Lafarge’s Slovenia unit as the cement producer is reorganising and reducing staff after it was stripped of its environmental permit for waste burning in November 2011.

Lafarge Cement spokesman, Andrej Sopotnik, told the Slovenska Tiskovna Agencija that the company has so far reduced the number of workers through from 180 to 120. The reorganisation plan envisages laying off some 60 additional workers but this number is still to be confirmed.

The city council called on all relevant bodies in Slovenia to allow the cement maker normal functioning as soon as possible under the same conditions as elsewhere in Slovenia and the EU, and with respect to all
regulations and standards.

Trbovlje Mayor Vili Treven meanwhile urged Lafarge Cement to try to keep the jobs in Trbovlje and consider investing in other activities in the construction sector.

There had been speculation that Lafarge may chose to move out of Trbovlje because of the problems with obtaining the environmental permit.