Task force to ease shock of paper mill's 371 lost jobs

Published on Wednesday 18 February 2009 20:57

A TASK force was launched yesterday to help find work for the hundreds of people who will lose their jobs with the closure of Aberdeenshire's last paper mill.

A total of 371 staff at the International Paper Mill in Inverurie will be made redundant at the end of the next month.

The closure of the 200 year-old business is expected to double the unemployment rate in the town, which is in the heart of First Minister Alex Salmond's Gordon constituency.

The establishment of the task force was announced by Mr Salmond after a meeting with workforce representatives, Scottish Enterprise and other government agencies.

The task force will also include staff representatives, Aberdeenshire Council and skills companies engaged by International Paper.

A spokeswoman for Mr Salmond said: "The aim will be to find jobs or suitable training opportunities for as many as possible of the workforce, as well as engaging with the mill suppliers to assist with potential diversifications."