SCA's tissue mill in Kawerau, New Zealand, shut down after about 60 union members strike but don't say why; representatives of company and union meeting to try to resolve issues, restart mill, which recently completed NZ$60M expansion

Debra Garcia

LOS ANGELES , February 13, 2014 (Industry Intelligence Inc.) – The Kawerau, New Zealand, tissue mill of Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget (SCA) has been idled after about 60 unionized workers walked off the job without explaining why on Feb. 11, reported the Rotorua Daily Post on Feb. 12.

Representatives from the company and the Northern Federation of Pulp and Paper Workers Union (PPWU) are meeting to try to resolve the issues, said a union representative, who asked to remain anonymous.

The unidentified PPWU source declined to comment on why the workers were striking, the Rotorua Daily Post reported.

The company is “disappointed” with the workers who decided to take industrial action, said Mark Kennedy, operations general manager of SCA Hygiene Australasia New Zealand.

A NZ$60-million (US$50.1 million) expansion had been completed at the mill last month. Most employees “appreciated” the investment and welcomed it, said Kennedy, reported the Rotorua Daily Post.

The PPWU is being urged to meet its obligations under the Employment Relations Act, Kennedy said, noting that the goal is to get everyone back to work as soon as possible.

The primary source of this article is the Rotorua Daily Post, Rotorua, New Zealand, on Feb. 12, 2014.

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