The Finnish transport workers strike has resulted in the closure of two plywood lines at UPM’s Pellos mill.
The news comes following an estimate by the Finnish Forest Industries Federation (FFIF) that each day of the strike is costing the Finnish forest industry €30m in export revenues.
FFIF director-general Timo Jaatinen warned that the strike would “snuff out” the recovery of the industry experienced since the start of the second half of 2009.
He said companies would lose business because paper and wood products were not being dispatched from Finnish ports.
“The strike’s impact will lead to job losses in the forest-based sector of Finland and its associated industries,” he said.
Antro Säilä, FFIF’s head of competitiveness related issues, told TTJ that the Finnish paper manufacture was suffering, with many production lines closed. Finnish wood products production was continuing but he warned that if the strike continued, production would also be hit.
“All the materials and ships are being held at the ports, which means customers are not receiving their orders,” he said.
