Production to continue at Valmet plant in Uusikaupunki

We're talking about a decline in production volume. The changes in the global automotive industry and recent geopolitical events have had an effect on us. Production will continue but it will be scaled to match market demand, Pasi Rannus, the director of manufacturing at Valmet Automotive, told YLE on Monday.

There will be changes to job descriptions.

The negotiations with staff representatives were started in January. The redundancies will be implemented between late April and early May, leaving around 1,400 employees at the plant in Uusikaupunki.

The plant is expected to need additional 150 employees in the autumn as it begins producing the AMG GT roadster for Mercedes-Benz. Rannus didn't say anything about when and how long the laid off employees could be brought back, as well as the duration of the temporary lay-offs.

He said that the employer has a certain take-back obligation, but it is too early to speculate. We can't provide any timelines at this point. Rannus believes that the electrification of road transport will provide a boost to the company in the coming years. He stated that the demand for our services will only grow in the future.

After the sad news, Jarkko Heinonen, the head of business and economic development at the City of Uusikaupunki, expressed his confidence in the future of the assembly plant. We will try to make sure those laid off are able to find new jobs. There is still demand for labour in the region, according to the public broadcasting service.

The labour situation at the assembly plant has always fluctuated, he reminded.