Western Forest Products is blaming what it’s calling “temporary production curtailments,” for the disruptions and shutdowns of mills in Chemainus, Saltair, and Duke Point.
Effective today, the Duke Point mill is set to shut down for two weeks, while next Monday, the Saltair mill will shut down for a week.
Compounding the issue, forty people are out of a job at the Western Forest Products Chemainus mill, as the forestry giant has cut the graveyard shift.
In a statement, Western said the mill is reducing its operating hours from 120 to 80 hours a week, citing the need for these curtailments to help align customer volumes with current customer demand.
In late March, 120 workers at the Cowichan Bay sawmill were off the job for two weeks for what United Steelworkers Local 1-1937 President Brian Butler called a “bargaining tactic.”
Western Forest Products claimed the reason for the shutdown was due to market conditions and high log costs.
