The employee union of Kitimat’s pulp and paper mill was as shaken as the rest of the community at the announcement of the impending closure.

The presidents of both Local 298 and 1127 were at an annual wage caucus meeting in Vancouver last week when they were called up for an urgent management meeting in Kitimat.

“Obviously, we’re shocked,” national representative Scott Doherty told the Sentinel at a meeting in the local Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada office last week.

“It’s a big hit to both communities, Terrace and Kitimat. Once again, a community is being devastated by a closure in the industry. This is a corporate decision, so nobody was aware of the fact that Eurocan was potentially going to shut down,” Doherty explained.

“There’s been some indicators that there’s been some trouble with the mill, as is the case in the pulp and paper industry across the province right now.”

“There’s a problem with the industry as a whole, so we were aware of that, but certainly not aware that West Fraser was looking into potentially shutting down the mill permanently, so that’s the shock,” Doherty added.

He said the pulp and paper industry will need to work hard to recover from the blow.

“It’s a sad example of what’s happening in the pulp and paper industry right now,” he said. “The governments don’t seem to want to listen. The industry doesn’t want support. Sooner or later this industry needs to wake up and find some solutions.”

Presidents Adrian Welsh (1127) and Mary Murphy (298) went through the mill, having discussions with employees following the October 28 announcement.

The union was also busy scheduling information meetings with the employer for local union memberships to attend this week.

For now, its primary concern is taking care of its employees. In that vein, they were encouraging members to use the resources available in the community, such as counseling.