Kinleith confirms restructure decisions

Kinleith confirms restructure decisions

Carter Holt Harvey Kinleith Chief Executive Brice Landman today confirmed that the company would implement the structure announced on 27 May, and that the proposal to outsource maintenance at the mill would be progressed.

Mr Landman said that today’s announcements follow the conclusion of the latest period of consultation with unions.

“The business challenges which underpinned our original proposal to restructure Kinleith have not changed. We need to make significant changes – the business is simply not paying its way and we are behind our competition on some important benchmarks.

“I thank the unions for the broad approach they took to making changes across all areas of the business.

“Although wide-ranging, the union proposals have not been able to generate the sustainable savings and changes required to give the mill a strong future. The difference between the company and union proposals was close to $88m over five years.

“Today’s decisions will help to give Kinleith a sustainable future and continue its major contribution to New Zealand’s forest industry and economy.

“Over the next fortnight the company will consult with unions over implementation of the new structure. These discussions will encompass implementation of the new approach to maintenance, and management of redundancies.

“The union has demonstrated that they understand the need for change at Kinleith. It’s now time to move on and implement today’s decisions to start a new era at Kinleith,” Mr Landman said.

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