澳大利亚纸浆纸业公司Opal Australian Paper宣布裁员84人，涉及受薪员工和Maryvale企业协议覆盖员工。[1]公司表示，"白纸生产的结束大幅改变了工厂的运营规模"。[1]该造纸厂位于Latrobe Valley地区，是该区域最大雇主之一。
在解释裁员原因时，公司指责维州政府未履行相关承诺。[1]Opal Australian Paper声称维州政府"未履行《木浆协议》下的合同义务，造成实质性亏损"。[1]Latrobe Valley地区在1990年代煤电行业私有化后长期保持高失业率，2017年Hazelwood电站关闭更导致900人失业。[1]
Opal Australian Paper has announced the elimination of 84 positions at its Maryvale facility, citing operational changes and government contract failures. The workforce reduction affects both salaried employees and workers covered under the Maryvale enterprise agreement at a plant that ranks among the largest employers in the Latrobe Valley region. [1]
The company attributed the job cuts to the cessation of white paper production, which it said has "substantially altered the operating scale of the facility." [1] In a statement, Opal Australian Paper accused the Victorian government of failing to fulfill its contractual obligations under a timber supply agreement, resulting in what the company characterized as substantial financial losses. [1]
The Latrobe Valley has faced persistent economic challenges in recent decades, with unemployment elevated following the privatization of the coal and power sector in the 1990s. The closure of the Hazelwood power station in 2017 alone resulted in the loss of 900 jobs in the region. [1]