Source: Etu Union
Union members are devastated to learn that Oji Fibre Solutions is set to close the paper manufacturing operations at Kinleith Mill in Tokoroa.
The closure will result in the loss of at least 230 jobs, with significant downstream impacts on the wider local community.
E tū senior delegate Ian Farall believes the company had made this decision long ago.
“The writing has been on the wall for some time, and the company never seemed serious about saving paper production,” Ian says.
“They have neglected essential maintenance that could have put us in a much stronger position. Of course, high power prices play a role, but the company should have been far better prepared for this.”
Ian also criticised the Government for failing to intervene meaningfully.
“We’re shocked and angry that the Government isn’t stepping in to save the paper mill. It’s a key part of our domestic manufacturing and vital to the wider Tokoroa community.”
Mario van der Putten, senior FIRST Union delegate at the mill, said workers were “bitterly disappointed” by the news.
“We were the last ones standing – the last paper-making machine in the country,” Mr van der Putten says.
“This puts our economy at risk and will have a ripple effect on primary industries that rely on our products for the safe, long-term storage of goods.
“We don’t believe the company has put forward a genuine business plan. Instead, they have reduced us to a business case. The writing was on the wall after two decades of underinvestment in the mill.
“This could end up being a disastrous decision that sinks the entire business. Specialist skills that take decades to master will be lost in the process.”
E tū Negotiation Specialist Joe Gallagher says the closure is yet another example of the Government failing to protect local industry.
“We hear Luxon talking about a focus on growth while doing next to nothing about the crisis facing manufacturing,” Joe says.
“The Prime Minister needs to get real about what economic prosperity actually looks like. It’s about protecting New Zealand’s industries and keeping local communities thriving, not standing by and letting them collapse.”