Metsä Board, the board and kraftliner segment of the Metsä Group, intends to introduce temporary layoffs in its mills in Finland and will start negotiations on this in week 21.
The subject of negotiations are temporary layoffs for a total of 1,100 employees, which could last a maximum of 90 days for each employee until the end of the year. The mills affected are Joutseno (360,000 tpy BCTMP), Kaskinen (390,000 tpy BCTMP), Kemi (425,000 tpy white top kraftliner), Kyro (190,000 t/y folding boxboard), Tampere (210,000 t/y folding boxboard), Simpele (300,000 t/y folding boxboard) and Äänekoski (260,000 t/y folding boxboard).
The implementation of short-time work could take place in several parts over the year, and the concrete implementation will be decided on a case-by-case basis, Metsä Board said. The company estimates that the negotiations will take two weeks.
The background to the planned temporary layoffs is the weak demand in the market, which is currently affecting large parts of the entire paper industry throughout Europe and which the paper industry is countering with production cutbacks of various kinds. In the first quarter of this year, Stora Enso Packaging Materials and UPM, among others, had already negotiated and implemented zero hours for their Finnish mills. It will also be implemented there until the end of the year for a maximum of 90 days per employee, depending on demand.
