Metsä Fibre to begin negotiations on potential layoffs at sawmills in Lappeenranta and Vilppula

Metsä Fibre, part of the Metsä Group, is set to begin negotiations regarding potential layoffs at its sawmills in Lappeenranta and Vilppula. These negotiations will commence next week and are expected to last approximately two weeks. All employees at both sawmills will be included in the discussions. The Lappeenranta sawmill employs around 70 individuals, while the Vilppula sawmill in Mänttä-Vilppula has about 100 employees. Any potential layoffs could last up to 90 days and may be implemented in several phases by the end of January 2025. Specific numbers and timelines for the layoffs will be clarified in the coming months.

Recently, Metsä Fibre announced similar negotiations at its Joutseno pulp mill in Lappeenranta. Ismo Nousiainen, the company’s CEO, indicated that the reason for these negotiations was a decline in demand for market pulp from China. This time, Metsä Fibre stated that the new negotiations are a response to the need to adjust production to align with temporarily low delivery volumes.