The closure of Otautau's Brightwood sawmill was effectively out of the control of staff, Clutha-Southland MP Bill English said this week, but he also knew that would not make the news any easier to accept.
The mill's American owners last week confirmed the Southland plant will close about June 12, after struggling for some time to stay open.
Sixty staff will lose their jobs next month.
In a statement, Mr English said he wanted to pass on his support for those who would soon be out of work.
"These people are the victims of a worldwide over-supply of wood products and a steady decline in international prices - effectively, this shutdown was out of their control."
Brightwood managers had done their best to stave off the threat of closure but that would not make the final decision any easier to take, Mr English said.
"This closure will have come as a tremendous shock to both the workers and the Otautau community. Losing work at this time will be extremely difficult."
Mr English believed those workers would find work in other industries but said, for now, they would need the support and encouragement of the communities in which they lived.
