Type
Internal restructuring
Country
Finland
Region
Manner-Suomi; Länsi-Suomi; Satakunta
Location of affected unit(s)
Rauma
Sector
Manufacturing
Manufacture Of Wood And Paper Materials
Manufacture Of Paper And Paper Products
17.12 - Manufacture of paper and paperboard

179 jobs
Number of planned job losses
Job loss
Announcement Date
10 September 2019
Employment effect (start)
Foreseen end date
31 December 2019

Description

Timber, pulp and paper manufacturing company UPM announced the shutdown of one papermaking machines out of the three available at its production plant in Rauma. The decision is expected to lead to the dismissal of 179 employees (including 14 temporary ones), for which employer-employee negotiations have started. The company plans to turn the papermaking machine off by the end of 2019. The closure is part of a wider restructuring process in Europe with the aim to reach annual cost savings of €20 million.

According to management, the restructuring event is linked to the decrease in demand for uncoated paper in Europe. Moreover, a spokesperson for the company signalled concerns for talks about harvesting restrictions in the country and claims that Finland is far from the market with high transportation costs. On the contrary, employees criticized the announcement, as they claim that the remaining two papermaking machines are difficult to operate with a reduced workforce. For this reason, employees called for a 24-hour-long work stoppage.


Sources

  • 10 September 2019: YLE (yle.fi)
  • 10 September 2019: Helsingin Sanomat (www.hs.fi)
  • 10 September 2019: UPM (press release) (www.upm.com)

Citation

Eurofound (2019), UPM, Internal restructuring in Finland, factsheet number 98560, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/98560.