Finnish paper maker M-real announced on Jan. 8 it had started talks about temporary layoffs for 1,500 paper mill workers in Finland due to weak demand.
"The target of the negotiations is to prepare the production temporarily for lower demand by temporary layoffs and working time arrangements," the firm said.
On Jan. 7, pulp maker Botnia, which is owned by paper makers UPM-Kymmene, M-real and Metsaeliitto, also blamed weak demand and said it would temporarily lay off 678 employees in the Nordic country.
Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2009
