The Unifor union says it is working with community officials and others to find a potential buyer for a newsprint mill in northeastern Ontario that will be shut down next week.

The big industrial union said Monday it is working with others to try to save the mill in Iroquois Falls, which Resolute Forest Products plans to close permanently on Monday.

The mill is the town's largest employer and its 180 workers are members of the union. The company says falling demand for newsprint has forced the permanent downsizing of its production and the closure of the Ontario mill and two paper machines in Quebec.

"Unifor will do everything we can to protect this mill," said union national president Jerry Dias. "We know the entire community is dependent on this mill."

Unifor, which represents the workers at the mill, is actively working with others to find a buyer.

"We are not simply giving up," Dias added. "We understand there are some potential buyers. And we expect Resolute to co-operate to ensure a future for the mill."

Unifor noted that Resolute has committed to heat the mill until February. But Dias said the union expects the forestry company to heat the mill until the spring – and protect the equipment – if a potential buyer is found.

"The bottom line is that if this mill is permanently closed the local economy will be decimated. Resolute must co-operate fully with efforts to sell the mill," stressed Dias.

Unifor is Canada's largest union in the private sector, representing more than 305,000 workers. It was formed Labour Day weekend 2013 when the Canadian Auto Workers and the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers unions merged.

Earlier this year, Unifor signed new four-year contracts that covered 2,000 workers at Resolute mills in Ontario and Quebec, including at the Iroquois Falls site.

Resolute, formerly known as AbitibiBowater, went through a bankruptcy restructuring a few years ago that saw the Montreal company streamline operations and workers forced to make concessions so it could survive.

Heard: Unifor seeks to find buyer for doomed newsprint mill

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