Exxon says Texas refinery lockout was lawful in reply to NLRB complaint

ExxonMobil Corp said in its reply to a U.S. National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) complaint that the lockout of over 600 workers at its Beaumont, Texas, refinery was lawful, according to a filing with the board, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

In a Sept. 30 complaint, the NLRB said Exxon acted in violation of federal law in locking the workers out of their jobs for 10 months between May 2021 and March 2022. The board recommended the workers receive their back pay and costs for the time they were locked out of the refinery.

In the reply, Exxon said it "acted in good faith and has not violated any provision of the National Labor Relations Act." The NLRB in the September complaint alleged Exxon undertook the lockout to remove United Steelworkers union (USW) local 13-243 from representing the workers at the 369,024 barrel-per-day (bpd) refinery.

The lockout began as the union and Exxon were deadlocked in talks over a new six-year contract. Exxon said the lockout would assure operations continued uninterrupted if the union began a strike, as it had notified the company it might do. The lockout ended after union members accepted Exxon's contract proposal.

In the September complaint, the NLRB alleged Exxon unilaterally changed the terms of the contract and working conditions for refinery employees. The company "did not make any material changes to bargaining unit employees’ terms and conditions of employment," Exxon said on Friday.

The NLRB alleged Exxon provided more than the "ministerial aid" to union members who led a decertification campaign to remove USW local 13-243 from representing the workers. The board also alleged the lockout became unlawful when Exxon said in messages to the refinery workers that they would be allowed to return to work if they removed the union.

Exxon's "alleged conduct with respect to its employee communications, even if true, is lawful under extant board law," the company said. An administrative law judge will hear the complaint and Exxon's defense in 2023.

ExxonMobil asked the U.S. National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to move back by a month a hearing on a complaint the company unlawfully locked out more than 600 workers from its Beaumont, Texas, refinery.

We remind, ExxonMobil is gradually shutting down its 235,000 barrel per day (bpd) Fos-Sur-Mer refinery in France as a result of ongoing strike action. Walkouts caused the gradual shut down of Exxon's 240,000 bpd Port Jerome-Gravenchon oil refinery and Notre Dame de Gravenchon (NDG) petrochemical site in France on Sept. 20 before spreading to Fos-Sur-Mer 24 hours later.

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Indorama Ventures Public Company Limited (IVL), a global sustainable chemical company, celebrated the completion of a plant to manufacture high-performance nylon yarn for automobile airbags, said the company.

The new plant in Rayong, Thailand, was constructed by Toyobo Indorama Advanced Fibers Co., Ltd. (TIAF), a joint venture that Indorama Ventures established with Toyobo Co., Ltd in November 2020.

The plant, which has been built on the site of Indorama Polyester Industries PCL (IPI) in Rayong Province, will deliver 11,000 tons of high-performance yarn per year to meet global demand for airbags that is expected to grow by 3 percent to 4 percent annually as automakers equip vehicles with more airbags and emerging economies require cars to adopt more safety features. Test production is scheduled to start in October 2022 with the goal of starting commercial production in the middle of 2023.

In 2014, Indorama Ventures and Toyobo jointly acquired Germany’s PHP Fibers GmbH, a leading airbag yarn maker. Since then, both companies have strengthened their relationship with a focus to expand in the automotive safety sector. Mr Christopher Kenneally, based in Bangkok, leads IVL’s Fibers segment, which produces fibers and yarns across its Hygiene, Mobility and Lifestyle verticals. Mr Ashok Arora, with over 30 years of experience in fibers and polymer operations, will helm TIAF as CEO while maintaining his role as CTO with IVL Fibers.

Indorama Ventures Public Company Limited, listed in Thailand (Bloomberg ticker IVL.TB), is one of the world’s leading petrochemicals producers, with a global manufacturing footprint across Europe, Africa, Americas, and Asia Pacific. The company’s portfolio comprises Combined PET, Integrated Oxides and Derivatives, and Fibers. Indorama Ventures products serve major FMCG and automotive sectors, i.e., beverages, hygiene, personal care, tire, and safety segments. Indorama Ventures has more than 26,000 employees worldwide and consolidated revenue of USD14.6 billion in 2021. The Company is listed in the Dow Jones Emerging Markets and World Sustainability Indices (DJSI).

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Stepan Co has completed the previously announced purchase of the surfactant business and associated assets of PerformanX Specialty Chemicals (PerformanX Specialty Chem), said the company.

The acquisition includes intellectual property, commercial relationships and inventory. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

As per MRC, Stepan plans to invest USD220m to build a new alkoxylation plant at its site in Pasadena, Texas. The new plant will provide “a flexible capacity” of 75,000 tonnes/year, capable of both ethoxylation and propoxylation, and better position the company to serve growing global demand in its surfactant and polymer businesses, it said.

As MRC informed before, Stepan conducted planned maintenance at its 90,000 tonnes/year phthalic anhydride (PA) plant Millsdale, Illinois, US, from early October to end-October, 2020.

Stepan is a manufacturer of specialty and intermediate chemicals used in a wide range of industries. The company is based in Northfield, Illinois, USA. The company is also a manufacturer of surfactants, which are key ingredients in consumer and industrial cleaning formulations. In addition, the company is a supplier of polyurethane polyols used in the growing market for thermal insulation and the CASE industry (coatings, adhesives, sealants and elastomers).

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Unipar Carbocloro (UNIP3, UNIP6) reported this Friday, 14th, after the market closed, that a potential transaction involving Braskem (BRKM5) is one of the opportunities evaluated, although no binding document has been signed, said Financenews.

The statement appears in a statement where the company responds to a request for explanations by the Securities and Exchange Commission (CVM) and B3.

The request of both came after the article published in the newspaper Valor Economico on October 13th under the title “Apollo improves supply and moves sales at Braskem”. The report states that “Unipar would continue to be interested in Braskem's assets in Sao Paulo, in an operation with a price equivalent to R$ 60 per petrochemical share”.

“Regarding the inquiries made, the company clarifies that it is part of its routine to evaluate new business opportunities as they arise, constantly studying opportunities for investments, acquisitions and other strategic alternatives that are consistent and compatible with its objectives and that , in this sense, a potential transaction involving Braskem S.A. is one of the opportunities evaluated, however, no binding document has been signed between the company and Braskem”, said Unipar in the statement filed on the CVM website.

Braskem's shares were the highlight of the week's rise. Although they dropped 4.5% this Friday, the 14th, during the week they jumped 30.90%. The strong appreciation comes after the news published on the blog of journalist Lauro Jardim, at O ??Globo, that the American manager Apollo made a new offer for the petrochemical company.

We remind, Unipar's board of directors (UNIP6) approved an additional investment in the project to implement a chlorine/soda and derivatives production plant at the Camacari Petrochemical Complex, in Bahia. The increase will be around R$94 million. In a statement sent to the CVM (Securities Commission), Unipar says that the project will increase by 10 thousand tons of chlorine per year to the production capacity originally planned.

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Amcor, a global leader in developing and producing responsible packaging solutions, released its first Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosure (TCFD) report, which includes the results Amcor’s climate scenario analysis exercise, along with information about the company’s climate governance structure, risk management approach and performance metrics, said Polymerupdate.

As a leader in sustainability, the report marks another milestone for the organization, ensuring continued transparency of its climate-related business risks as well as providing a roadmap on how to best integrate climate risk management opportunities within its operational strategy.

Michael Casamento, Chief Financial Officer at Amcor, said, “The report represents the latest example of how Amcor has integrated climate-related considerations into its growth strategy and risk management framework. Adding TCFD standards to our sustainability-related reporting that already adheres to the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), as well as leading the packaging industry by reporting against SASB standards, helps us continue to lead with transparent, forward-thinking environmental stewardship.”

We remind, Amcor has completed its acquisition of a flexible packaging plant in the Czech Republic. Commissioned as a greenfield in 2019, the plant is fitted with advanced, specialised equipment to allow it to serve various segments, including coffee and pet food. In addition, the purchased land and buildings offer the capacity to expand the facility’s operations and establish a production hub at the site.

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