2009-05-22
11:59:25
There was plenty of frustration expressed over AbitibiBowater's move toward bankruptcy protection at a town hall meeting last night.
Over thirty contractors, mill workers and retirees attended. Robin Woolsley was among those to direct anger at the company for failing to communicate with local contractors.
"They knew they were going to go broke and none of them had the guts to come and give us a choice," said Woolsley. "They kept saying come in boys, the bridge is closed, but keep coming in. And I'm not the only one in this room who's got hundred thousand dollars plus tied up in this and all we keep hearing is next week, next week, next week."
Chris Pollard said local contractors are being left out in the cold
"There's a complete lack of communication with Abitibi, with Ernst and Young," says Pollard. "Nobody has any answers. It's absolutely pathetic. I would really like some answers"
Communication, Energy and Papersworkers Union National Rep, Steve Boon says governments need to take more action to help those effected.
"As leaders we all know we're in a terrible time," says Boon, "but we need a government to get us through the trough and out the the other side because there is a future. But right now the government can't sit on the sidelines and say let's let the chips fall where they may as the Americans do the opposite and help their industry."
Area logging firms, who are owed thousands of dollars from AbitibiBowater, say all they're want is the money that's owed to them, and not a government handout.
Thunder Bay-Rainy River M-P John Rafferty, who hosted the forum, says the future of AbitibiBowater's mill in Fort Frances appears to be secure. Rafferty said he got that assurance from a company vice-president he spoke with earlier in the week week.
"I did get the definite feeling that when we were talking specifically about this Fort Frances mill that the company thinks very highly of it," said Rafferty. "I think I would have gotten, even over the telephone, a pretty good indication if this was one of the mills that would be on the chopping block and it didn't sound like it was."
But the future of the mill's number 6 paper machine resuming production in June looks dim. Mill workers say management has told them a planned start-up likely won't happen next month and may not even occur in July. The machine has not been running since March.
