Food-plant sanitation company Fortrex says it plans to lay off 170 workers in Chatham County after a chicken processor canceled a contract with the company.
The jobs are at a site in Siler City, where Fortrex provides services to chicken processor Mountaire Farms Inc., Fortrex told state officials this week.
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Mountaire ended the contract with Fortrex, according to Fortrex, which reported the cuts to state officials in a letter this week. The services will be stopped in early February, according to Fortrex, which has worked at the site since 2019.
“Mountaire is transitioning to another provider for our sanitation services," Catherine Bassett, a Mountaire spokeswoman, said in an email. "We expect that a majority of the individuals impacted by this transition have already had the opportunity to apply for roles with the incoming provider.”
A spokesperson for Fortrex declined to comment on Thursday. Affected workers have been notified of the contract termination, Fortrex told state officials. Eligible employees will be offered a job transfer to another Fortrex plant in the area, the company said in its letter to state officials.
Fortrex, a privately held company, reported the cuts in a Jan. 12 letter to state officials, which was sent to comply with the laws created in part to help prepare employees for job transitions.