Following the launch of the second Air Warfare Destroyer Brisbane, ASC Shipbuilding has announced that it will be reducing the size of its workforce in SA to meet reduced operational demand.
In a statement, ASC said that up to 63 positions might possibly be made redundant, 56 of those in production and another seven salaried positions. The company will be offering voluntary redundancy packages.
"Today’s announcement starts a minimum six-week consultation process with the Enterprise Agreement workforce," the company said. "No workers will be departing the business today."
"ASC Shipbuilding is also working with BAE Systems to identify opportunities within their broader Australian workforce to help minimise the impact of these labour force reductions."
An ASC spokesperson told ADM that the individuals affected have not yet been identified. Production employees can expect to wind up work in late November, with salaried positions ending up to four weeks earlier.
The loss comes as SA is hit by a lull between the AWD project and the upcoming Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) build, according to a statement made by Premier Steven Marshall in state parliament yesterday.
ADM understands that OPV fabrication starts next month with a team of approximately 50 workers recruited internally by ASC. The company is currently undergoing a structural separation process to become a subsidiary of BAE Systems.