Metso announced that it has concluded the employee negotiations regarding their unit at Pori in Finland on November 16th 2009. As a result of the negotiation process initiated on September 30th 2009 a total of 80 persons in regular employment will be reduced, almost half of whom will be covered with pension arrangements.

The release said that 32 persons will be affected by an actual lay off. The reductions will commence immediately, according to legal terms of notice.

Temporary lay offs may affect all personnel during 2010. The members of staff to be temporarily laid off, and the duration and timing of these lay offs will depend on the workload.

The temporary lay-off notice applied to all the employees in the Pori unit in total about 230 people and the reduction notice to about 95 people.

The employee negotiations initiated simultaneously in other Fiber business line units in Finland and Sweden still continue. The reductions are part of the process to streamline Fiber business line’s operations and cost structure, to improve its competitiveness in a changing business environment.

Metso's units in Pori are part of the company's Fiber business line. They specialize in machinery and related expert services for chemical pulping.