Transcontinental printing plant to shut down

BOUCHERVILLE, Que. – Employees got a rude greeting when they showed up for work at the Transcontinental printing plant in Boucherville Wednesday morning only to be told the plant will be closing Dec. 17.

Transcontinental said in a statement the closure was due to a drop in demand for the company’s book, catalogue and magazine segment of its printing network.

"Over the past several years, Transcontinental has invested heavily in new printing technologies that have made it significantly more efficient and augmented its production capacity," the company said. "Today, because of the major structural changes in the printing industry that have led to decreased demand in certain niche markets."

The company thanked the 180 employees for their service and said all will receive severance packages and help finding new jobs.

The plant printed such publications as Air Canada’s En Route magazine, and federal government tax return forms.

"Our members are in shock and so are we," said Serge Bérubé, president of the Teamsters union that represents workers.

He said the news comes after an agreement in the last collective bargaining agreement to reorganize work in order to limit the number of layoffs during the company’s restructuring process. He said the union will create a crisis team which will help find new jobs for those affected by the plant closure.