CMPC gradually resuming operation of its production plants in Chile, including pulp mills, after Chilean truck drivers end their strike in protest of violence in the region; CMPC had slowed or stopped production amid material shortages during strike

Chile , May 10, 2022 (press release) –

The road blockade caused by the truckers' strike in the south forced the forestry sector to take measures. CMPC was one of the companies that reacted to the contingency and announced on Friday that it would reduce production levels at various production plants and take the necessary measures to proceed with its next stoppage.

Although the truck drivers decided to stop the mobilizations on Saturday, and the government committed itself to increase the number of police forces while the processing of a constitutional reform for a new state of emergency is extended, this Sunday afternoon the general manager of Empresas CMPC sent a heartfelt letter to the workers regarding this conflict .

By way of an update on the situation of its operations in southern Chile , Francisco Ruiz-Tagle - in a letter to which DF had access - explained that they avoided as much as possible taking the decision of an imminent stoppage of its pulp and wood plants. In this, his teams, he said, "spent the whole of last week trying to mediate to find a solution to the shortage of supplies caused by the mobilization of transporters who blocked roads affecting our installations".

However, he acknowledged that they did not have the expected results and this meant that sawmills, plywood plants, remanufacturing and pulp mills were affected by a drastic reduction in their inventories of lumber and other raw materials, making it impossible to continue normal operations.

In fact, in the internal letter sent to the workers, Ruiz-Tagle stated: "During the next few weeks we will have to redouble our efforts to normalize supplies and thus recover the usual production rhythms. We must remember that our products are used to produce basic necessities for all people, as we understood during the long period of the pandemic".

Along these lines, he explained that as of this weekend they have gradually resumed the operation of their production plants. According to him, some, such as Line 2 of the Nacimiento pulp mill (cellulose), will only be able to begin operations as of Tuesday, as a result of the supply deficit.

For this reason, he was emphatic in his message to the employees:"I ask for your maximum support for this necessary process of recovery and stabilization of our activity and I am grateful for the commitment of each one of you during these complex days".

Reflection on the conflict

But also, in his missive, the executive of the company linked to the Matte family reflected on the conflict. "The land transport drivers have been complaining for days about the insecurity they suffer on many public roads in our country. We understand their concern and empathize with it," he said.

He then stressed that public safety, as they expressed on Friday when they announced the stoppage of their production in the face of the truck paralysis in the south, "corresponds to an exclusive responsibility of the State and its compliance should not require any action that ends up affecting the free transit of people, goods and services".

"We trust that the corresponding authorities will take all possible measures to recover the longed-for peace and tranquility in the central-south zone of our country", he concluded.