HS in Kotka | The pulp mill was supposed to be Mika Kolehmainen's workplace for the rest of his life – Now life changed in an instant

Kotka

“Of these I've been going in and out of the gates for 13 years,” says the paper man Mika Kolehmainen.

He looks at the flickering lights of Stora Enso's Sunila pulp mill in the dark night. There is a shell and chip silos, familiar corners to Kolehmainen.

Now production at the factory has stopped.

“This makes me quiet. Still.”

It was June morning, when Kolehmainen and hundreds of others found out about the extra information session to be held in the afternoon. Kolehmainen immediately thought that it couldn't be a good thing. He started calling his colleagues who had gone on summer vacation. Some arrived.

“The atmosphere was apathetic. One colleague was on vacation in Central Europe with his wife, it was really nice to spoil their vacation.”

When Stora Enso told about its plans, the employees were surprised. Back in the spring, the company's message had been that everything is fine. There had even been talk of new jobs being created. Now it felt like the bottom of everything collapsed.

On the next day Helsingin sanomat newspaper and other media reported on Stora Enso's extensive savings measures. The company said it will close the Sunila factory, reduce the number of people at the head office, close the cardboard factory in Holland, one cardboard machine in Poland and the Näpi sawmill in Estonia.

Closing Sunila meant the loss of approximately 250 jobs.

Town house is covered in snow frosting and add sprinkles.

“Further, further,” wishes Kolehmainen briskly from the doorway.

“I even dug up the yard for you.”

He had bought this 88-square-meter detached house only a month before the bad news.

“To a really great situation,” Kolehmainen sneered In an interview with HS in June.

However, he has not been left to complain in vain. Kolehmainen has had discussions with the bank about his situation and now his mind is calm. The home does not need to be put up for sale.

Some colleagues had a more difficult situation.

“The employer has been organizing mental health services since the summer, but the services just haven't worked as the employer had hoped. Fortunately, we have been colleagues supporting each other.”

Mika Kolehmainen bought a detached house just before hearing about the end of the work. Fortunately, it now seems that there is no need to sell the new home. Picture: Juha Metso

Flamboyant according to his own words, was born in the shadow of the chimney of the Sunila factory.

“It's always been said that if you get to work in a factory, you'll also retire from there.”

Kolehmainen's father, aunt and uncle and numerous acquaintances have worked at the factory. He himself worked at the factory already in the 1990s, until he occasionally drove a truck.

13 years ago, he returned to Sunila as a machine operator. For the last six years, he worked as a carer.

Kuorimo is the space for the primary production of wood chips, where the trees arrive to be debarked. In Kolehmainen's opinion, the work was varied and comfortable.

The work shifts were 12 hours long, and since it was shift work, you could comfortably get extras.

Summer after the news, a large part of the workers at the Sunila factory were laid off for three months. After the change negotiations, Kolehmainen returned to work, as the work obligation continued.

“It wasn't a party. The motivation is no longer the same after something like that.”

The thoughts are already in the future job search.

“When one door closes, another opens. Maybe I'm old-fashioned when I think that there is work for those who work. Of course, you may have to compromise on something.”

Among other things, the transport industry, the engineering side or the port come to mind.

The hope is that you don't have to leave your new home and Kotka. However, a few colleagues have already gone elsewhere.

“One went all the way to Oulu for work. It also depends on the life situation.”

Let's talk a moment about how Kotkan is doing when such a large employer ceases its operations.

“There will be a lot of unemployment and people will move away,” says Kolehmainen.

And it's not the first strike. The restructuring of the forest industry has already treated Kotka harshly in previous years.

Forest industry company Kotkamills sawmill's business became loss-making in 2022, and in July 2023 the sawmill was put on hold. At the end of the year, the sawmill was closed permanently.

The precarious situation is worrying.

“Soon the people of Kotka will no longer have money to go shopping or go to a restaurant, let alone pay for their children's hobbies.”

In his opinion, some kind of turnaro
und would be needed. Five years ago, there were queues at restaurants, now the city center is much less crowded.

“Kotka is a good seaside town. You have been able to study and work here. I hope it will be possible in the future as well.”

Correction 9.1. 2:25 p.m.: Contrary to what was erroneously stated earlier in the story, the sawmill business of forest industry company Kotkamills became loss-making in 2022 and not the entire forest industry company Kotkamills.

Correction 9.1. 8:07 p.m.: In the news, it was previously erroneously stated that the debarker is the primary production facility for wood chips, where the logs arrive to be debarked. It has been fixed that wood arrives to be peeled. In addition, it was previously stated erroneously in the story that Stora Enso has not organized mental health services as an employer. Services have been arranged, but in Mika Kolehmainen's opinion, they have not worked as the employer had hoped.