Government denies agreeing to closure of Kemijärvi pulp mill

Opposition interpellation debated in Parliament on Wednesday

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Minister of Defence Jyri Häkämies (Nat. Coalition Party), who is responsible for policy on companies in which the state has a holding, denied opposition claims on Wednesday that the government, or representatives of the government would have given advance approval to the decision by the partly state-owned Stora Enso to close down the Kemijärvi pulp mill in Finnish Lapland and the Summa paper mill in Hamina in the south of Finland.
     Responding to an opposition interpellation, Häkämies insisted that state representatives have not given their blessing to the Stora Enso decisions, either before, or after the fact.
     
Häkämies was just as insistent that no change in policy toward companies with state ownership has taken place since the summer. According to Häkämies, the government has operated in the same manner for the past 15 years, regardless of political shade, enacting a policy of non-interference in decisions by listed companies.
     Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen (Centre) emphasised that he is "not so schizophrenic" as to implement two different kinds of policies in two consecutive governments.
     
The opposition did not believe what the ministers had told them.
     Left Alliance leader Matti Korhonen adhered to his view that the government has given companies free hands to sack workers. Jouko Skinnari (SDP) felt that the new ownership policy consists of "non-interference, lack of will, and lack of vision".
     Parliament spent hours arguing over whether or not anything had changed, and if the state should, or should not have done something to preserve the factories. No new information about the closing of the factories, or of new jobs was forthcoming.
     
Prime Minister Vanhanen said that there were discussions with the management of Stora Enso on "business policy measures", but that the discussions did not lead to changes in the decision to close the factories.
     Vanhanen warned that Stora Enso could face new reductions as well. "The claim, that a company would be profitable, and would deliberately sack people is mind-boggling", he noted.
     All opposition parties had signed on to the interpellation - a process which culminates in a confidence vote. Of government party representatives, only Erkki Pulliainen (Green) joined the critics of Stora Enso and the government. However, he nevertheless called for a vote of confidence in the government, prompting a round of laughter from opposition MPs.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Vanhanen makes no new promises on Kemijärvi pulp mill (11.1.2008)
  Protesters in Kemijärvi occupy pulp mill slated for closure (4.1.2008)
  Minister says government is not to intervene in Stora Enso closures (6.11.2007)
  Finnish government allocates funds to areas hit by Stora Enso closures (26.10.2007)
  Trainload of protesters from Kemijärvi bring pulp mill message to Parliament (5.2.2008)

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