Helsinki (27.01.2007 - Juhani Artto) In September 2006, the forest industry giant UPM, based in Finland, announced its plan to get rid of its remaining 300 forestry workers. They and their union, the Wood and Allied Workers' Union, rejected the plan arguing that it is bad for both the company and its forests, let alone the workers themselves. This time the critisism worked. On Friday, UPM announced to have reached an agreement with the 300 forest workers and the union. The workers will be transferred to UPM's new subsidiary Silvesta that specializes on forestry work. The terms and conditions of employment will remain unchanged. In its statement the Wood and Allied Workers' Union reminds that UPM's original plan created uncertainty and fears among the workers. However, the reached agreement offers a good starting point for rebuilding atmosphere of cooperation and trust, the union stresses. UPM owns 920,000 hectares of forestry land in Read also:
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