The workers will come back to work on May 4.
"This is a measure complying with the collective labor contract. There were other possibilities, including the one of sending people home and paying them less," Temelescu said.
SNLO operations will not be completely ceased on the company having employees working seven days per week to supply charcoal from its storage facilities.
SNLO will lay off on May 1 around 600 employees that have two years at most until the retirement. They will therefore enter an early retirement program. The company also aims to gradually lay off other 700 persons by 2012.
In 2012, the company should have 7,800 employees, compared with 51,000 in 1996.