Layoffs expected as N.L. mill workers prepare to meet with Abitibi

Representatives with AbitibiBowater are expected to confirm the company's restructuring plan with employees at the Grand Falls-Windsor mill in central Newfoundland Thursday.

It has been speculated that anywhere from 80 to more than 120 jobs will disappear in the near future.

Jean-Philippe Cote, spokesman for AbitibiBowater, told CBC News that if layoffs are necessary, it will happen over the next few months, not immediately.

"I couldn't confirm in terms of specific dates," Cote said. "What I can tell you is most definitely, the component of the early retirement will be, of course, a priority, and this is part of the discussions that we're having now."

Representatives with the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers union met with the company Wednesday about the restructuring plan and called it "devastating."

However Cote said the plan, when announced Thursday, will be the best option for the mill.

"We are convinced that our plan does contain the best solutions to provide the mill with a stable future," Cote said.

Like other newsprint producers, AbitibiBowater has been slashing capacity for several years, measures that included a string of mill closures that affected its other mill in Newfoundland. The Stephenville mill was idled in 2005.

In April, the company announced it was cutting 13 managerial jobs from the Grand Falls-Windsor plant, from 58 to 45, a move that was expected to save $1.3 million.