04/03/2010 Finnish road transport resumed as normal on Wednesday evening after unions struck a deal with employers, ending a strike that lasted only one day. The possible strike of ice-breakers has also been cancelled, as the parties reached an agreement. Meanwhile, dock workers started a strike on Thursday, March 4th, at 6 a.m. after labour talks between unions and employers broke down during the night. Dock workers have stopped handling cargo at all Finnish ports, which is expected to halt Finland's exports and imports. We anticipate that the stevedores strike will not have a major impact on our production or customer deliveries, but a certain degree of disruption is possible and highly regrettable. The extent of the consequences will depend on the length of the strike. Metsä Tissue has forearmed itself carefully for the eventuality of a strike. Since November, the company has been shipping export goods to warehouses outside Finland and an extra reserve of raw materials is in storage at the company's Finnish mill to improve our capabilities to continue production. Potential back-up production capacity has been identified and can be activated. Metsä Tissue will continue to monitor the situation closely. We kindly request our customers to direct their enquiries to their own sales contacts. For general strike-related questions: Juhana Kalpio, SVP, Supply Chain Tel: +358 1046 54184 E-mail: juhana.kalpio[at]metsatissue.com Marko Reunanen, VP Supply Chain, Northern Eastern Europe Tel: +358 1046 47203 E-mail: marko.reunanen[at]metsatissue.com