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A major lithium producer is sacking half of the apprentices at its struggling lithium refinery in Western Australia's South West.
The ABC has seen communications between American miner Albemarle and its eight mechanical and electrical apprentices confirming the number of apprentice roles will be halved.
The company's presentation said it was "unable to support the work required for the number of apprentices we have to successfully complete apprenticeships".
The Kemerton lithium refinery. (Supplied: Albemarle)
The lithium giant recently revealed it had lost hundreds of millions of dollars on an unsuccessful project to expand the Kemerton refinery.
The trainees were told they would find out on Monday if they were among the four being made redundant.
The company announced hiring the apprentices — including five women — just 12 months ago.
It was the company's first ever intake of mechanical and electrical apprentices.
Albemarle told the ABC it was unable to provide the work required to support eight apprentices as it downsized its operations in response to market conditions.
"Unfortunately, there is just not the work, and we want our apprentice program to continue to be meaningful," a spokeswoman said.
The union says Albemarle still turns a significant profit on the Greenbushes lithium mine. (ABC News: Bridget McArthur)
It comes less than four months after hundreds of job cuts at the same site were announced.
The Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union told the ABC contractors turned up to work on the morning of the announcement to find they had already been barred entry.
'Sickening and frustrating'
On the same day the apprentices were told their jobs were on the chopping block, the WA government announced a $150 million lithium industry support package "to protect local jobs".
The Electrical Trades Union WA said it was "sickening and frustrating".
"On the one hand, we're handing out corporate welfare," ETU WA apprentice organiser Rob de Graaf said.
"On the other hand, we're turning a blind eye to the exploitation, the recycling of the most vulnerable workers in our society."
ETU WA apprentice organiser Rob de Graaf (left). (Supplied: Rob de Graaf)
Mr de Graaf said Wednesday's redundancy announcement had caused a significant amount of stress to the apprentices.
"They were called into the office for a meeting at 3pm, 30 minutes before the end of their shift, and informed half of them would be made redundant," he said.
"They weren't told which half or who it was going to be. It's put them in a very uncomfortable position going into the weekend."
He said apprentices were usually the least aware of their rights and the least able to move between employers.
Mr de Graaf said it also set a dangerous precedent.
The Electrical Trade Union is worried Albemarle's Australian workers are as disposable as the parts of its cancelled third production train at Kemerton. (ABC South West: Bridget McArthur)
"Every sparky out there knows that it is actually supposed to be quite hard to get rid of an apprentice," he said.
"If they're doing it to them, then there's really nothing stopping them from taking a big knife through the rest of the workforce."
He said the government needed to look at companies like Albemarle and ask if they were fulfilling their end of the social contract.
Workforce Development Minister Simone McGurk told the ABC that South Regional TAFE had contacted Albemarle after recent workforce cuts were announced, offering to work with the company to minimise the impact to affected apprentices and trainees.
"The Department of Training and Workforce Development was advised that impacted apprentices would be redeployed and that the company did not require further support," she said.
"To learn now that some apprentices have been told they may be facing redundancy is disappointing."
Ms McGurk said she had asked the department to prioritise support for affected apprentices so they could continue their training.