People at Work

The factory employed men, women, and even at the turn of the 1900s, under-aged children. Their working conditions and wages were dependent on many different factors at different times. National and even international trends affected Jämsänkoski too. The first school in Jämsänkoski originated from the factory community. Later on, the company used vocational training in an effort to improve both the position of the individual in the factory and to maintain the competitive edge of the company.

A large number of company staff worked in duties other than actual production. From the early 1900s, the factory employed people from various occupational groups. Some of them worked in the ever expanding social services, which encompassed almost all leisure activities from sport to gardening.

The mill was seen, heard and smelled by its environment. The company's status and power in the locality was considerable. It also brought the outside world into the Jämsänjoki river valley. Well-known visitors gained an idea of papermaking and pulp cooking on factory visits. Events at own and sister factories were recorded in the magazine Työn Äärestä, its pages containing items from people's important birthdays to the best-kept garden of the year.

Wintry wood handling at Kaipola in 1987