TEXAS CITY — Layoffs began this week at the Dow Chemical plant in Texas City as the company cuts about 5,000 jobs worldwide. Company officials, however, would not say how many people at the Texas City facility were given pink slips.
Dow spokeswoman Tracie Copeland confirmed the layoffs were part of the company’s plan announced in December to cull about 11 percent of its work force. She said the company would not reveal specific numbers of how many people were being let go at the individual sites.
The layoffs come ahead of a planned shutdown of a unit within the Texas City plant. That shutdown will affect about 58 jobs, the company had previously said, although some of those workers may be transferred to other positions within the company.
Texas City Dow manager Charles Jackson on Tuesday said the company was offering veteran — and more expensive — workers packages to encourage retirements to help ease the pain in laying off more workers. Workers who had been given their walking papers this week confirmed most of those leaving the company were more experienced workers.
In December, Dow said it would cut 5,000 employees, a third of its 6,000 contractors, as well as slash output at 180 plants and close another 20 plants worldwide.
