00:00There's been heightened concern about the future of the smelter here behind me since
00:06the Wyala Steelworks in South Australia, which has the same owner, went into administration
00:12in February. Liberty Bell Bay said this morning it had no choice but to place the Tasmanian
00:17smelter into limited operations.
00:20Liberty Bell Bay produces manganese alloy, which is used to strengthen steel for construction.
00:26The company says last year it lost its main supplier of manganese ore after the mine on
00:32Groot Island off the coast of the Northern Territory was damaged by a cyclone.
00:37It says global price volatility and Donald Trump's tariffs have also affected operations.
00:43Around 250 people work at the Tasmanian smelter.
00:46Liberty Bell Bay says it will try to avoid forced redundancies.
00:51The Tasmanian Premier says he understands about 40 full-time workers will be needed during
00:57a care and maintenance phase.
00:59He says the government is very concerned about the impact on workers.
01:02We'll engage with the local community, the mayor, to ensure that we're all working together
01:09to support the employees, their families and of course the local community.
01:15Liberty Bell Bay says it will continue to work through its ore supply issues.
01:19The ABC understands the company will now work with the unions and ask any workers to take
01:25any leave they have owed.
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