Some workers building a new nickel processing facility for Vale Inco in Long Harbour, in eastern Newfoundland, say they were abruptly laid off Tuesday evening.

CBC News spoke with three workers who would not reveal their names. They said they feared that speaking out would make it harder for them to find work.

The employees said dozens of trades workers represented by three unions were told to go home when they reported for work Tuesday evening. They were working on the night shift for Pennecon Heavy Civil Ltd./Atcon Construction Inc.

Pennecon's Heavy Civil division won one of the first construction contracts for the facility that's scheduled for completion in 2013.

Workers said they haven't been told why they've been let go and they don't know how long the layoff will continue.

Vale Inco spokesman Bob Carter said the layoffs are a normal seasonal occurrence.

He said one of the contractors that's been running a nightshift throughout the summer gave notice that they were scaling back operations.

"That's quite normal in a construction project of the scale that we're talking about in Long Harbour," Carter said, "and there will always be an ebb and flow of people who are in the construction trades who will be coming and going from that site."

Carter said there are still in excess of 400 people working at the site.

Construction of the $2.2-billion hydromet nickel processing facility began last April near Long Harbour, about 100 kilometres southwest of St. John's. At the peak of construction the site is expected to employ up to 1,600 people.

Voisey's Bay Nickel, a subsidiary of Vale Inco, began shipping nickel concentrate from its Labrador mine in late 2005. Under an agreement with the province, the company has promised to process an equivalent amount of ore, drawn from other mines, at Long Harbour.