Co-determination negotiations at Stora Enso Imatra Mills completed

STORA ENSO PRESS RELEASE 17 April 2019 at 13:30 EEST

Co-determination negotiations concerning the closure of paper machine 6 at Stora Enso’s Imatra Mills in Finland, ended on 15 April 2019. The negotiations were part of the Group’s profit protection programme. Most of the impacts on personnel as a result of the layoffs can be managed through pension arrangements.

As a result of the co-determination negotiations, paper machine 6 at Imatra Mills will be shut down by the end of 2019. By reorganising work in the departments that support production by paper machine 6, the number of layoffs at Imatra Mills can be reduced from the previously announced estimate of a maximum of 80 to 55 people. Most of the cases can be managed through pension arrangements. Most of the employment relationships of the people affected will end by the end of 2019.

“The decisions about closures are always difficult, but it is good that in most of the cases, the layoffs can be managed through pension arrangements. Even if we were closing one small paper machine, the personnel of the whole mill were part of the co-determination negotiations, which enabled this end result,” says Mill Director Mikko Nieminen.

Stora Enso supports those who are made redundant for production-related and financial reasons by providing extensive support, including the possibility of individual placement training. The Group also works closely with local employment and economic development offices to help those who have been laid off.

The closure of the paper machine 6 is part of Stora Enso’s profit protection programme, announced on 1 February 2019. The programme is aimed at creating cost savings of EUR 120 million per year.

Stora Enso Imatra Mills
Stora Enso Imatra Mills is the world’s largest manufacturer of paperboard for liquid packaging. The mills are part of Stora Enso’s Consumer Board division and consist of two production units, Kaukopää and Tainionkoski, which together have almost 1 000 employees. The mills have an annual capacity of over one million tonnes of paperboard and paper per year. Imatra Mills produce paperboard for packaging of liquids and foods, as well as graphic paperboard, speciality papers, self-manufactured pulp and chemi-mechanical refiner pulp. After the closure of paper machine 6, Imatra Mills will have four carton paperboard machines and one paper machine.

Further information:
Satu Härkönen, Head of Communications Finnish media relations, tel. +358 40 832 7458

As part of the bioeconomy, Stora Enso is a leading provider of renewable solutions in packaging, biomaterials, wooden constructions and paper globally. We believe that everything that is made from fossil-based materials today can be made from wood tomorrow. Stora Enso has approximately 26 000 employees in over 30 countries. Our sales in 2018 were EUR 10.5 billion. Stora Enso shares are listed on Nasdaq Helsinki (STEAV, STERV) and Nasdaq Stockholm (STE A, STE R). The company’s shares are traded in the USA as American Depositary Receipts (SEOAY). storaenso.com

STORA ENSO OYJ

Further information:
Satu Härkönen
Head of Communications Finnish media relations
tel. +358 40 832 7458