BSW Timber has confirmed that collective consultations have begun over potential job losses at its Carlisle site.
The company said the process started on Friday, November 7, with union and nominated staff representatives involved.
Consultations are expected to continue into December, with any redundancies likely to take place before the end of the year.
WANT MORE FORESTRY NEWS?
- Tilhill Harvesting now running UK's 'largest and most advanced' fleet
- Forestry England launches new resilience strategy to oversee nation's woodlands
- What does the future hold for tree shelters in forestry? (Hint: It's complicated)
Employees were informed on Friday, October 31, of a proposal to close the sawmilling element of the site at Cargo, which could result in redundancies among associated roles.
The company confirmed that approximately 57 roles are at potential risk of redundancy.
The firm plans to remodel the facility into a sawn-timber processing and distribution hub, supported by a new railhead to improve logistics. This transition would see the site’s primary focus shift from sawmilling to 'secondary processing and value-added operations'.
BSW Timber has recently acquired additional land adjacent to the site and secured planning permission for a new railhead, designed to strengthen its distribution capabilities.
The major expansion of the site, given planning permission in August after 18 months of wrangling, will involve the development of a new railhead plus a warehouse and office space, an open storage area and internal roads and infrastructure.
Gebhard Dünser, UK chief operating officer at BSW Timber, said: "We will do everything we can to support those involved as we enter a period of consultation, and will keep you updated accordingly.”
Founded in 1848, BSW is the largest integrated forestry business in the UK, supplying around a third of all sawn softwood.
This article originally appeared in our sister title, the News and Star.
