Can't force AbitibiBowater to pay woods workers severance: province

The Newfoundland and Labrador government said Monday it can'thelp woods workerslaid off by AbitibiBowaterget severance money.

More than 200 workers who had been providing wood for the Grand Falls-Windsor paper mill were told to go home last week. They will receive pay until the end of next month, but they aren't getting a severance package.

AbitibiBowater will stop paper production in Grand Falls-Windsor by Sunday, throwing hundreds more employees out of work. Those workers will receive severance and will be paid until March 28.

Innovation, Trade and Rural Development Minister Shawn Skinner said it's unfortunate that severance wasn't included in the woods workers' collective agreement, but the government can't force the company to pay beyond what's in the contract.

"From a government perspective, we will do whatever we can to assist them to make sure that they get whatever they are entitled to, to the full benefit of the laws of this province," he said.

The union wants the province to tie the severance money issue into any settlement that's reached for expropriating AbitibiBowater's assets, but Skinner says that's not likely.

"Our expropriation really had nothing to do with any contractual arrangements that the mill, and the owners of the mill, had with the employees," he said.

Following Abitibi's announcement, the Newfoundland and Labrador passed legislation in December that reclaims the company's timber and water rights.

Skinner, the head of a task force that is supposed to come up with a plan to help the region, announced Monday that it has established a team of 18 labour specialists in central Newfoundland to help with career and employment counselling.