Nelson Pine layoffs a blow to region

Nelson Pine announced plans this week to shed 60 jobs, a further blow to a region already reeling from the 160 job losses at Sealord.

The announcement is being blamed on falling demand in international markets.

EPMU national timber industry organiser Alan Clarence says the redundancies are a sign the global recession is starting to have a local impact. "The timber industry relies heavily on the international building industry but the global recession means that market is drying up and there's falling local demand as well.

"We will be consulting with the company over the next few weeks to try to mitigate the impact of this announcement," says Clarence.

Between them, the EPMU and National Distribution Union represent 160 workers at Nelson Pine.