Gloomy christmas for BMR workers as Activox shuts down

An anxious employee of BMR based at the Activox Demonstration Plant at the Tati Nickel Mine says management briefed them early this week about their 'inevitable' job losses. Says the man, who prefers anonymity: "We have been informed that this decision was taken following the fall in metal prices and the global financial crisis that is currently wreaking havoc."

The closure of BMR comes five months after construction of the P5 billion Activox plant was "suspended". Tati Nickel Mine is one of the non-Russian assets of Norilsk Nickel International.