Folkman Rapala to retain 50 jobs

The company will retain certain divisions, including lure design, and a total headcount of around 50 in V ksy. The decision was made by the staff on Monday.

After a round of consultations that began in October, the decision was made. On Monday, the head of legal affairs at Rapala VMC said 53 employees will be affected by the redundancies and changes to employment contracts, although the company continues to look into the possibility of offering some employees jobs at the plant producing Peltonen skis in Heinola, Southern Finland.

The changes will be completed as soon as possible.

Hannu Kolehmainen, the chief shop steward at Rapala and Marttiini, told YLE and Helsingin Sanomat that around 45 production workers are set to be laid off in the course of next year. After almost two months of consultative talks, he said that the decision was a disappointment and surprise to the staff.

People are depressed and completely disappointed with the outcome. He commented to the public broadcasting company that they offered different alternatives and negotiated for seven weeks.

Kolehmainen was added to Helsingin Sanomat because of the fact that knife production at the plant did not start until a couple of years ago. The guys have been working overtime because production has not kept pace with order volumes. They wondered if this is the real reason for all the flexibility they have shown. The long tradition of manufacturing Rapala lures in Finland will be stopped by the decision. Rapala has grown from a one-man operation to the world's largest lure manufacturer over the past 85 years, with operations in 38 countries.

The V ksy plant was opened in 1973 and its staff includes people who have been with the company for four decades, according to YLE.

This is absolutely shocking. This has always been one of the biggest employers in Asikkala. It has become a smaller rand, and now it is a lot smaller, said Kolehmainen.