Decision on UPM Miramichi mills within weeks: union leaders

Union leaders say hundreds of laid-off Miramichi millworkers should know their fate by Christmas.

Union representatives fromUPM's groundwood and paper mills in Miramichi met with UPM officials in New York City on Wednesday to get an update on the Finnish paper company's plans for the mills.

UPM announced last month that it was temporarily shutting down the Miramichi mills, putting 600 people out of work.

After Wednesday's meeting, Communications, Energy and Paperwokers Local 689 president Chris Allison, who represents workers at the paper mill, said the company promised to make a decision on the mill's future within weeks, likely before Christmas.

"There's a lot of people back home are hinging on whether this mill starts or not and their lives and their families are waiting for an answer and everyone is sitting around waiting," he said."I think it's only fair that a decision is rendered one way or the other."

Cecil Miller, president of CEP Local 678 at the groundwood mill, said workers should see the result of Wednesday's meeting as positive.

"I think that [workers are] going to find out a little sooner than they expected to, maybe, and that's a good thing either way because at least if it's bad news they'll be able to get on with their lives, and if it's good news, then let's go."

The union leaders say the company told them it wants to make the mill viable.

They say UPM is now doing feasibility studies to see if new infrastructure could make that happen.