Catalyst Paper Curtails Production at Crofton, BC, Mill, Some 70 Workers Get Lay-Off Notices
The Crofton mill in British Columbia (Canada) is an integrated pulp and paper mill with two operating paper machines and two pulp machines. The mill has the capacity to produce 302,000 tonnes per year of newsprint and 336,000 tonnes per year of NBSK pulp.
The following story was posted on the Ladysmith Chronicle's website on Sept. 26. Sept. 30, 2019 (Ladysmith Chemainus Chronicle) - More than 70 workers at the Catalyst Crofton pulp and paper mill have been laid off. Travis Gregson, president of Unifor Local 1132 which represents about 85 of the approximately 570 employees at the mill, said the mill's newsprint and package grading machines were shut down on Wednesday night (Sept. 25) impacting many of his members. He said the union and the workers were given notice of the lay-offs nine days before the shutdown. Company officials have no comment at this time. Gregson said the work curtailment is expected to last about two weeks, but management set no hard date for when the machines will start up again, and workers have received no notification from the company as to when they will be returning to work. He said the work curtailment is related to the ongoing decline in demand in newsprint around the world, the growing trade war with China, where many of the mill's products are sold, and the current high cost and lower grade of wood chips. The mill usually receives its wood chips, used to produce pulp and paper products, from Western Forest Products, but the workers at WFP have been on strike since July 1, virtually cutting off the forest company's wood chip supply to Crofton. The complete story is available on the Ladysmith Chronicle's website: More than 70 handed lay-off notices at Crofton mill. SOURCE: Ladysmith Chemainus Chronicle Editor's Note: Paper Excellence Canada in March of this year completed the acquisition of Catalyst Paper Corporation. The deal included Catalyst's three facilities located in Crofton, Port Alberni and Powell River, its Surrey distribution centre and headquarters in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. |