Resolute Forest Products Inc., Montreal, Que., Canada, this past week announced that it has reached a collective bargaining agreement in principle with Unifor. The agreement in principle must be submitted to members of the union for ratification and provides for the collective agreement to be renewed for four years.

The master agreement covers 11 of Resolute's Canadian pulp and paper mills. The agreement in principle applies to the (in Quebec) Amos, Baie-Comeau, Dolbeau, Gatineau, Kénogami, Laurentide, and Saint-Félicien mills, and (in Ontario) to mills in Fort Frances, Iroquois Falls, Thorold, and Thunder Bay.

"We are satisfied that we have reached an agreement in principle with the Unifor executive that is focused on the future," said President and CEO Richard Garneau. This agreement allows Resolute to continue productivity improvements and also to offer our employees good working conditions in several regions of Quebec and Ontario."

The collective agreement covers approximately 2,000 employees represented by Unifor. The agreement in principle provides for wage increases in each of the four years and continues the partnership with the union on efficiency and employee safety. The eleven establishments account for more than 41% of Resolute's total pulp and paper capacity.

Resolute Forest Products produces a diverse range of products, including newsprint, specialty papers, market pulp, and wood products. The company owns or operates nearly 40 pulp and paper mills and wood products facilities in the U.S., Canada, and South Korea, and power generation assets in Canada.