Staff
About 40 employees will be called back to work at the local mill when the No. 7 paper machine is restarted for two-three months.
The machine, which has been down since April 10, will be restarted in mid-July.
The No. 5 paper machine had been started up again during this idle period, and currently is running.
“At the time the machine was idled, the company had indicated it would monitor market conditions and would respond accordingly,” Pierre Choquette, director of Canadian Public Affairs for Resolute Forest Products, said in an e-mail to the Times.
“This restart, albeit temporary, demonstrates good faith re that commitment,” he noted.
“It is, however, a temporary restart and this is a clear indication of how competitive the market is and how volatile the demand for these grades is,” he stressed.
Choquette said the temporary restart will involve roughly 40 employees, mainly in the groundwood and paper machine areas, along with finishing and shipping.
“Safety is, and will remain, the number-one priority,” he remarked.
“Accordingly, timing associated with the recalling of employees will include some hours for safety, job reorientation and, in the limited number of jobs where required, recertification,” he noted.
Meanwhile, Choquette said the company continues to look at how its Fort Frances operations can be repositioned, particularly with regard to the kraft mill.
