Next week more than 300 employees will not be punching in to work at Mosaic’s potash mine in Colonsay, Sask.

The company announced temporary layoffs last month citing a challenging North American season.

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The mayor of the 450-person town said some residents have been trying to come to terms with Mosaic deciding to idle the facility.

He added 20 to 30 people from his community will be laid off and that their neighbours are concerned about them and their families.

“They get good payout there and you lose that out of a household and … there’s a lot of bills to pay,” James Gray said.

Those concerns are echoed by the union that represents the workers.

They’re recommending those who have been laid off look for new jobs.

United Steelworkers believes the temporary measures will last into 2020.

“The mood is pretty low right now. People are not certain what they’re going to do or what the future holds. (There are) a lot of unanswered questions still to this very day,” staff representative Darrin Kruger said on Thursday.

Mosaic said it is monitoring the potash market and the mine will remain shut down until further notice, but it believes this is a short-term issue.

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