UPM has finalised negotiations on possible temporary layoffs at its Finnish mills to adjust production to market conditions if necessary.
UPM confirmed that UPM Pulp, UPM Timber, UPM Biofuels and the Lappeenranta biorefinery can implement a total of 90 days from 1 January to 30 June this year. In the Communication Papers division, layoffs can be implemented from 1 March to 31 August. This applies to all for UPM's pulp mills, sawmills and printing and writing paper mills in Finland. Temporary layoffs can be imposed individually and at intervals.
UPM explained that there is currently no acute need for temporary layoffs, need is to be assessed on an ongoing basis. Any decisions on the duration and allocation are to be made on a case-by-case basis, the company said. Should the need arise, employees would be given 14 days' notice.
In an earlier announcement, UPM had stated that temporary layoffs in Finland could affect around 780 employees at its pulp mills, around 235 at the sawmills, around 1100 in the Communication Papers division and around 90 at the Lappeenranta bio-refinery.
In Finland, UPM has three pulp production units – Kaukas, Kymi and Pietarsaari – with a total capacity of around 2.4 million tonnes per year.
UPM's Communication Papers division in Finland includes the mills Jämsänkoski (630,000 tonnes per year of SC papers, newsprint papers, label and packaging papers), Kaukas (300,000 tonnes per year of LWC), Kymi (715,000 tonnes per year of wood-free papers and speciality papers) and Rauma (665,000 tonnes per year of LWC).
