Domtar's pulp mill
(JENNIFER STAHN / iNFOnews.ca)
November 03, 2014 - 4:08 PM
KAMLOOPS – Officials at Domtar have reached an agreement with the Unifor union to support local trade apprenticeship students with training opportunities at the pulp-mill in Kamloops.
The agreement follows the issues caused by the pulp-mill’s A-Line closure in 2013. The decision resulted in a layoff for 125 workers and an 80 per cent reduction of sulphur particulate – the main cause of the plant’s odour emissions.
Beyond providing apprenticeship work, officials at the mill say the agreement will secure retirement packages for senior workers, keep laid-off employees on a recall list and will establish scholarships and bursaries for trade students in Kamloops.
"We are pleased to have reached this agreement that we believe fosters a new working relationship between Domtar and Unifor that recognizes and builds on our common interests," Domtar’s Human Resources Manager Nels Goddard said in a media release.
Bob Stephens, first vice for Unifor’s local 10B echoed the sentiment.
“This is a deal where we can put the past behind us and concentrate on the future of the mill and our union,” he said.
Unifor is Canada’s largest private sector union.
To contact a reporter for this story, email Glynn Brothen at gbrothen@infonews.ca or call 250-319-7494. To contact an editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724
News from © iNFOnews, 2014