Published by: David Bartle<>
4 Mar 2025 @ 20:58 UTC

Aluminium rod producer Alubar Metaux temporarily suspended operations in Bécancour, Quebec, on Tuesday March 4, with the United Steelworkers (USW) union alleging the move was related to US tariffs on Canadian imports.

Alubar Metaux told the USW on Monday March 3 that the plant’s operations would be suspended due to the tariffs, but did not specify for how long, a USW representative told Fastmarkets on Tuesday.
As a result, the union issued a press release on Tuesday morning regarding its 70 members at the site, stating that the first plant has fallen in the battle in the tariff war.”
Representatives from Brazil-based Alubar Group, the parent company of Alubar Metaux, did not respond to requests for comment at the time of publication. Representatives from Alubar Metaux did not respond to requests for comment at the time of publication as well.
After USW issued that press release on Tuesday morning, plant management told the union that the suspension was only a 24-hour maintenance outage and workers would return on the morning of Wednesday March 5, the union representative told Fastmarkets.
However, we remain vigilant in the face of the impact of US tariffs on the industry and reiterate the urgency of a concrete action plan by governments to protect jobs and the Quebec economy, the union said in an update to their original release later on Tuesday.
US President Donald Trump implemented 25% tariffs on non-energy Canadian imports on Tuesday, which will be followed by 25% tariffs on all aluminium imports into the US on March 12.
Alubar’s aluminum rods are subject to the 25% US tariffs imposed on Tuesday on all Canadian exports and could be subject to the additional 25% tariffs on aluminum next week, according to the union.
Indeed, a Canadian aluminium source told Fastmarkets on Monday that they expect the tariffs on US aluminium imports from Canada will stack to a total of 50% by next week.
Alubar Metaux produces aluminum rods almost entirely for the American market from the nearby Aluminerie de Bécancour (ABI) aluminum smelter. The plant produces 100,000 tonnes per year of aluminium rods and alloys, according to Alubar’s 2020 annual report. That accounts for about 30% of ABI’s production, USW reported.
In the original release on Tuesday, the USW urged the Quebec and Ottawa governments to deploy the union’s action plan to modernize plants, buy Canadian products, diversify the Canadian economy and support workers.
We’ve been talking for weeks about measures to support the economy. What is the concrete plan? Because [Tuesday morning], we’re the first to be punched in the face, and we need help, USW representative Jessy Trottier said in the release.
This is a brutal attack by the US government, Dominic Lemieux, USW Quebec director, said. [Tuesday] we’re seeing the first plant shutdown and we fear for what is coming in other sectors of our economy, including wood, steel, processing, manufacturing and auto parts.
Canadian media outlets reported Quebec Premier Francois Legault said relief measures will include a liquidity program to support businesses affected by the tariffs, including the province’s metals and manufacturing industries, in the short term.
Fastmarkets assessed the aluminium P1020A premium, ddp Midwest US at an all-time high of 41-42 cents per lb on Tuesday, up from 40-41 cents per lb a week earlier and 22-23 cents per lb at the beginning of the year.