Received a warning twice in three years

The Swedish pulp and paper industry has had some really tough years—everyone in the industry knows that. Weak demand and increased competition, combined with rising energy and raw material costs, are some of the reasons why mill after mill has been forced to cut back on production. This has been done, among other things, by shutting down operations completely for a period—a move that several companies and corporate groups decided to make this past summer. But it has also involved cutting staff.

Give notice; terminate employment.

New hires, long-time employees—no employee is safe.

One person who knows what it feels like to be given notice is 36-year-old Simon Wigsten, an operator at the historic Strömsbruk mill in northeastern Hälsingland. He has been given notice not just once, but twice.

The first time, in the fall of 2023, when about 60 employees were affected, Simon became deeply concerned. For one thing, he had only been with the company for a few years. For another, he and his partner, Lisa, were expecting their first child at the time—Charlie.

“Besides, we had just moved into this house,” he says when we visit him at his family home three years later.

He quickly glances around his own living room and continues:

– I remember thinking, “Can we stay here? And the car we just bought—can we afford to keep it?” All those catastrophic thoughts came at once.

After a few nervous and anxious weeks, however, Simon and his coworkers were able to breathe a sigh of relief. There were no layoffs. Instead, management—Holmen—decided to suspend all operations at Strömsbruk for the following summer. To “close for the summer,” as Simon puts it.

– That’s when I decided to learn as much as I possibly could and become even better at what I do—to practically make myself indispensable to the company.

Simon worked then, as he does now, 12-hour shifts on the factory’s coating machine. This machine is used to apply a plastic coating and laminate finished cardboard from the adjacent and significantly larger sister mill in Iggesund. This is done to give the cardboard the grease- and liquid-repellent properties required for storing food and similar items. Lasagna trays, for example. Or ice cream cartons.

The second time Simon was given notice was in June of this year, just before Midsummer. But to his surprise, he wasn’t nearly as nervous or worried that time—even though he was now the father of a two-year-old and knew another child was on the way.

– No, strangely enough, I didn’t. I’m not really sure why, but I guess I’d become a little more confident as a person. Plus, I was better informed this time around; I knew you could get transition study aid and things like that. If I can’t stay, I’ll just have to try to figure something else out, I thought.

Simon is the safety representative for his shift team, and thanks to that role, he also has a pretty good idea of the emotional stages that someone affected by such an event typically goes through: shock, anger, grief, resignation, sudden thoughts of starting over, and so on—and they tend to alternate.

– You go back and forth between those different emotions, and so it felt good that I at least recognized them and knew that it can take a while to accept the situation.

But of course he was frustrated at times even this time around—angry, even—and he says he mostly took out that anger on his bike. Mile after mile. Road cycling is his big hobby, after all, and unlike in industrial areas, there are still plenty of country roads around here that aren’t too busy.

Read more:

Mass Layoffs at Strömsbruk: Simon, 33, Worried About the Future – “Especially Since I’m About to Become a Dad”

Operator Simon Wigsten is one of many who are concerned now that Holmen Iggesund has given 60 employees notice of termination.

A fateful day for the paper workers in Strömsbruk: "It feels like crap"

Mass Layoffs: 43 of 77 Employees to Be Laid Off; Decisions on Who Will Be Let Go Are Being Made Today; Pappers: "A Really Tough Day"

Even though Simon had slowly begun to consider other ways of making a living, he naturally hoped he would be able to keep his job.

– After all, no one wants to live in uncertainty.

And his anxiety grew, he recalls, when the union and management had finally concluded their negotiations and he suddenly received a text message stating that he was to report to the mill’s administrative office at 1:00 p.m. on a Tuesday. He and all the other employees had been summoned there.

– That’s when I got really nervous.

One by one, Simon and the others were asked to enter a room where a manager was waiting. On a table in the middle of the room, envelopes were lined up in a row, each labeled with a name and containing a sheet of A4 paper. These papers briefly stated whether each person would keep their job or not.

– Then the production manager said to me, “Your envelope will say that you’ll be staying.”

– “No way, are you kidding?” I said. “Yes, we’d really love to have you stay,” he said.

Simon cheered inwardly, but at the same time felt that he couldn’t possibly show any sign of joy outwardly, since more than half of the workers who had gathered there that Tuesday received a completely different message.

– People were crying. I left right away.

As he sat alone in the car, he decided that the first thing he would do was surprise Lisa at her job. Only then did he dare to shout out.

“The relief was immense. I remember we had a barbecue that evening—the whole family. Even my parents came to visit. It was fun; it felt amazing.”

A total of 44 of the mill’s 77 unionized employees were laid off that day, and when DA meets with Simon, their notice periods have not yet fully expired. The mood on the shop floor is therefore understandably low, he says.

– It’s pretty intense, I have to say. A lot of people are wondering how it’s going to turn out.

Have you ever experienced jealousy?

– No, not really. I thought it would be like that, because it’s pretty natural to feel that way… But no, nothing like that at all. Everyone’s been nice to each other, I think.

This is how many people have been given notice

Since 2023, just over 1,600 paper workers across the country have been given notice of layoffs, according to figures from Pappers.

However, the majority of them have not been forced into unemployment; rather, they have chosen to leave their jobs through various types of agreements with their employers, such as severance packages and early retirement.

In addition, in some cases, the number of layoff notices has been reduced after some time, or withdrawn entirely—as was the case at Strömsbruk in the fall of 2023.