Mackenzie, B.C.- The way has been cleared for the Confiex owned sawmill in Mackenzie to resume operations. The members of the United Steelworkers local 1-424, have ratified a new four year agreement which gives them salary increases of zero, zero and 2%  and 2%over the course of the agreement. The deal mirrors the package accepted by workers at the Conifex operations in Ft. St. James.

The contract calls for workers to defer $2.50 per hour until July 1^st 2013. At that time, they will be paid back hour for hour banked over the 3 year period. The payback could be triggered earlier if the price of lumber reaches $315 dollars per thousand board feet but no higher than $355 per thousand board feet. If lumber prices go above that mark, they will be paid $2.60 per hour banked.

The agreement means the final hurdle to the resumption of production at the mill has been cleared. Conifex purchased the mill from AbitibiBowater finalizing that deal in early June. The acquisition includes:two sawmills including planer mills,  with a combined annual production capacity of 445 million board feet of lumber on a two-shift basis, a forest licence with an annual allowable cut of approximately 932,500 cubic metres, a steam/power plant and associated turbine and boiler, and a paper mill (excluding the headbox). Conifex intends to dispose of the paper mill assets but will retain the power generation assets.