Loggers on Newfoundland's west coast may be called out of the woods earlier this year because of production cuts at a newsprint mill.

Kruger Inc., which indefinitely idled one of its four papermaking machines at Corner Brook Pulp and Paper earlier this week, will be requiring less raw material this year, which is translating into less work for loggers.

Union officials fear loggers working for Kruger-owned Corner Brook Pulp and Paper will be getting less work.
(CBC)

"It's a difficult time for everyone," said Rick Fudge, president of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers union local that represents the woodcutters.

Loggers, he said, have already lost several weeks of work this year, and cannot afford to lose any more.

"Our guys, you know, their life is geared to 45 to 48 weeks of work," he said.

"Their whole lives are built around that, and once you take a 10-week drop in the number of weeks that you get, it hurts."

Corner Brook Pulp and Paper is expecting conditions for its woodcutters to improve in 2008, since it plans to stop buying wood from mainland Canada.

However, Ron Smith, a national representative with the CEP union, said the Corner Brook mill should not count on its woods-based workforce to stay put.

"These people are not happy people, and there's no reason in the world why they should be happy people," Smith said. Many loggers may only get 32 to 36 weeks of work this year, he added.

"These people are skilled people and they don't need to stick around here," he said.

Smith added many have already left the industry and others may join them.

Kruger cited the high Canadian dollar for its decision to idle one of the Corner Brook machines, which is leading to an anticipated 80 layoffs inside the mill. Like other newsprint producers, Kruger has been dealing for years with a slump in global demand.