Irving Oil cutting 250 jobs, 6% of workforce, due to the economy

Irving Oil is cutting its workforce by 250 people or about 6% in light of the current economic conditions.

The New Brunswick-based company says the reductions will affect operations in Canada, the United States, Ireland and Britain.

No timeline for the cuts was immediately available.

Irving Oil president Ian Whitcomb says in a statement that the challenges faced in its business and industry "are unlike any we have ever experienced.''

He says the company hoped to avoid this outcome as it worked "to keep our business secure'' through the extreme challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Founded in 1924, Irving Oil operates Canada's largest refinery in Saint-John, N.B., and more than 900 fuelling stations and distribution terminals in Eastern Canada and New England.