There will be 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. Olli Aho, head of legal affairs at Rapala VMC, said on Monday that 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, chief shop steward at Rapala and Marttiini, told YLE and Helsingin Sanomat that around 45 production workers are set to be laid off during the course of next year. He said that the decision was a disappointment and surprise for the staff after almost two months of consultative talks.
People are very disappointed with the outcome, depressed. He said that we offered different alternatives and negotiated for seven weeks, and still this was the outcome.
Kolehmainen added to Helsingin Sanomat because of the news 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 really the thanks 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, with operations in 38 countries over the past 85 years.
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 smaller rand smaller, and now it is a lot smaller, said Kolehmainen.