Employees at the Viiala plywood factory in Northern Häme were shocked to hear that the plant’s owner, UPM-Kymmene, plans to shut down the factory, leaving all 171 employees without a job.
The announcement was part of the company’s plan to eliminate 672 jobs around Finland. In Viiala’s case, the shutdown of the plywood factory could boost the unemployment rate in the rural municipality of about 5,000 residents to 19%.
In addition to the Viiala facility, UPM plans to shut down the Aureskoski sawmill in Parkano.
To protest the move, workers at UPM’s sawmills and plywood factories plan to hold a protest strike on Tuesday next week.
At one UPM installation, the Alholma sawmill in Pietarsaari, employees walked off the job immediately after they heard that nearly half of the 170 jobs at the plant would be cut.
