The intention is to leave everything as is for now at the Grant Forest Products' (GFP) mills in Ontario.
Workers will not have to re-apply for the jobs they once held with GFP, says Melodie Ruse, communications manager with the new owners – Georgian Pacific.
“We intend to retain all the hourly manufacturing workforce as well as retain the salaried employees in the manufacturing roles,” says Ruse.
The Atlanta-based private company has not had an opportunity to step into the operations to see exactly what they have purchased and therefore cannot determine future changes.
“We are going to have to get in and on the ground first,” she says, adding Georgia-Pacific deemed it good enough to buy and are looking to the future with optimism.
“Obviously, it won't be run like it was run before.”
Asked if workers in Ontario can be expected to be paid the same as the rest of the company's other operations, Ruse said it would be difficult to determine because Georgia Pacific has 45,000 employees.
“That would be pretty hard to say, but we do believe in paying fair market wages.”
Georgia Pacific will honour existing contracts in Englehart with the workforce.
