Strike at Finland's Kemira delays Oulu site work

12 August 2008 11:04  [Source: ICIS news]

STOCKHOLM (ICIS news)--Finnish chemicals company Kemira had to halt maintenance work at its Oulu plant on Tuesday as workers staged a walkout in a protest against plans to cut jobs.

This caused a delay in resuming production at the site, which produces formic acid, hydrogen peroxide and peracetic acid, after the maintenance programme.
 
“The facilities will be up and running again Wednesday,” said company spokesperson Timo Leppa. “Deliveries will not be affected”.
 
The protests started on Monday, when personnel at the Competence Centre for Water Research in Oulu walked out, opposing company plans to concentrate R&D activities to the Helsinki area.

Workers at the production units then joined in the action in a one-day walkout.
 
Similar walkouts occurred last week at Kemira’s Vaasa facilities. 
 
Kemira last week announced a programme to make domestic savings of €20m ($31m) which may lead to the loss of 300 jobs, 145 in Oulu.

Globally Kemira targeted savings of €50m and a reduction in the workforce by 1,000 after it reported a 43% drop in its second-quarter net profit to €18.9m.
 
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By: Sverker Nyman
44 20 8652 3214

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