Expecting Layoffs Saturday, 71 Boston Metal Workers Get Reprieve – For Now

WOBURN, MA — The 71 Boston Metal workers expecting to lose jobs here Saturday are getting a break, temporarily.

The company won’t lay off its Woburn workforce until April 21, according to a notice filed with the state and posted Friday. The cuts were originally scheduled for March 14.

Boston Metal, which describes itself as an eco-friendly steel-making company, said it has received funding that will allow it to retain the employees for another 38 days.

The amount of money hasn't been disclosed. But it's not enough to keep the Woburn operations going longer, wrote Natalie Alarcon, the company’s vice president for people, culture and diversity.

Boston Metal has its headquarters, warehouse and pilot plant in Woburn. An industrial accident Jan. 30 at a larger plant in Brazil resulted in the local layoff.

No details have been released about the accident, but Boston Metal said it caused the company to miss a “key operational milestone” that was a condition of a pending financial deal.

Boston Metal “lost access to committed capital that was essential to sustaining operations at the company’s Woburn, Massachusetts, facilities,” Alarcon said in her letter to the state.

The layoff will affect the entire Boston Metal workforce in Woburn, from managers to engineers to lab technicians. The job cuts are expected to be permanent, Alarcon said.