Document:

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                                                                    EXHIBIT 10.1

                             FIRST AMENDMENT TO THE
                 BOWATER INCORPORATED EQUALIZATION BENEFITS PLAN
              AS AMENDED AND RESTATED EFFECTIVE FEBRUARY 26, 1999

         WHEREAS, Bowater Incorporated (the "Company") previously amended and
restated the Bowater Incorporated Equalization Benefits Plan as of February 26,
1999 (the "Plan");

         WHEREAS, Section 9 of the Plan to permits the Human Resources and
Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors of the Company (the "HRCC") to
amend the Plan;

         WHEREAS, the HRCC desires to amend the Plan to (i) provide for a lump
sum distribution option and (ii) waive the vesting requirements under Section 6
for a specific Participant.

         NOW, THEREFORE, effective November 6, 2001, the Plan shall be amended
as follows:

1.       The present provisions of Section 5 shall be labeled (A), and the
         clause ("Except as may be otherwise elected by the Participant pursuant
         to Section 5(B),") added at the beginning of the first sentence
         thereof.

2.       A new Section 5(B) shall be added as follows:

         "(B) During each December beginning with December 2001 (the "Election
         Period"), a Participant who is also a participant in the Supplemental
         Benefit Plan for Designated Employees of Bowater Incorporated (the
         "SERP") may elect to receive any benefits to which he is entitled under
         Section 4 in a lump sum computed using the applicable mortality table
         defined in Internal Revenue Code Section 417(e)(3)(A)(ii)(I) and a 7%
         interest rate ("Lump Sum Election") if he makes a similar election
         under the SERP. A lump sum election made pursuant to the terms of the
         SERP shall be considered a Lump Sum Election made under the Plan. No
         spousal consent to the Lump Sum Election shall be required. A Lump Sum
         Election must be made on or before the December 31st that is at least
         one full calendar year before the year of payment. A lump Sum Election,
         once made, cannot be revoked except during an Election Period."

3.       A new sentence shall be added as the last sentence in the first
         paragraph of Section 6 as follows:

         "Notwithstanding the foregoing, Bruce Nunn shall have a non-forfeitable
         interest in the benefits under the Plan beginning with the date he
         became a participant hereunder regardless of whether such benefits
         would have been payable under the Funded Plans."

                                      -1-
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         All other sentences in Section 6 shall remain unchanged.

         IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the HRCC has caused this First Amendment to the
Plan to be executed by a duly authorized officer this 12th day of December,
2001.

                                        BOWATER INCORPORATED

                                        By:  /s/ James T. Wright
                                             -----------------------------------
                                                 James T. Wright
                                        Title: Vice President - Human Resources

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                                                                    EXHIBIT 10.2

                                SECOND AMENDMENT
                                     TO THE
                              BOWATER INCORPORATED
                      RETIREMENT PLAN FOR OUTSIDE DIRECTORS
                             AS AMENDED AND RESTATED
                                FEBRUARY 26, 1999

         WHEREAS, Bowater Incorporated, a Delaware corporation (the
"Corporation"), established the Bowater Incorporated Retirement Plan for Outside
Directors (the "Plan"); and

         WHEREAS, the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of the
Corporation desires to amend the Plan to provide for a lump sum distribution
option;

         NOW, THEREFORE, effective November 6, 2001, the Plan shall be amended
as follows:

1.       Section 4.04 shall be amended by adding the clause "Except as may be
         otherwise elected by the Participant pursuant to Section 4.05," at the
         beginning thereof.

2.       A new Section 4.05 shall be added as follows:

         "4.05 LUMP SUM OPTION: During each December beginning with December
         2001 (the "Election Period"), a Participant may elect to receive any
         benefits to which he is entitled under this Article 4 in a lump sum
         computed using the applicable mortality table defined in Internal
         Revenue Code Section 417(e)(3)(A)(ii)(I) and a 7% interest rate ("Lump
         Sum Election"). A Lump Sum Election must be made on or before the
         December 31st that is at least one full calendar year before the year
         of payment. A Lump Sum Election, once made, cannot be revoked except
         during an Election Period."

         IN WITNESS WHEREOF, Bowater Incorporated has caused this First
Amendment to be executed by a duly authorized member of the Executive Committee
of the Board of Directors as of the 6th day of November 2001.

                                         BOWATER INCORPORATED

                                         Executive Committee of the Board
                                         of Directors

                                         By: /s/ Arnold M. Nemirow
                                             -----------------------------------
                                             Arnold M. Nemirow

                                         Date Signed: May 3, 2002<PAGE>

                                                                    EXHIBIT 10.3

                                 FIRST AMENDMENT
                                     TO THE
                           DEFERRED COMPENSATION PLAN
                              FOR OUTSIDE DIRECTORS
                             OF BOWATER INCORPORATED

         WHEREAS, Bowater Incorporated, a Delaware corporation (the "Company"),
established the Deferred Compensation Plan for Outside Directors of Bowater
Incorporated (the "Plan"), for the benefit of directors of the Corporation who
are not employees of the Company; and

         WHEREAS, the Company has reserved the authority to amend the Plan under
Section 6.01 by action of the Officer Committee as defined in the Plan; and

         WHEREAS, the Officer Committee is defined in Section 1.09 of the Plan
as being composed of the following officers of the Company: Chief Executive
Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Vice President-Human Resources; and

         WHEREAS, the Officer Committee desires to amend the Plan to change
installment distributions; and

         NOW, THEREFORE, the Officer Committee hereby amends the Plan, effective
as of November 1, 2001, as follows:

         The last three sentences of Section 4.01 are hereby deleted and the
following three sentences are added in substitution thereof:

         "If a Participant has elected a single installment distribution, the
distribution will be made in cash or in shares of Stock, or any combination
thereof, as elected by the Participant by no later than the December 31
immediately preceding the year of distribution, or, absent any election as to
the form, a distribution attributable to a Participant's Stock Account shall be
made in shares of Stock, and a distribution attributable to a Participant's Cash
Account will be made in cash. If a Participant has elected a distribution in
five or ten annual installments, then each installment distribution shall be
made in cash and/or shares of Stock subject to the following: (i) absent any
election as to the form, a distribution attributable to a Participant's Stock
Account shall be made in shares of Stock, and a distribution attributable to a
Participant's Cash Account will be made in cash, and a distribution with respect
to a Participant who has a balance in both his Stock Account and Cash Account
will be derived from both Accounts, by multiplying the balance of each account
by a fraction, the numerator of which is one and the denominator of which is the
number of remaining installments (including the installment being distributed);
or (ii) if a Participant elects by no later than the December 31 immediately
preceding the year of distribution, the distribution will be made in cash or in
shares of Stock, or any combination thereof, as elected by the Participant,
pursuant to

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procedures established by the Administrator; and (iii) if a Participant does not
make an election with respect to a distribution, but has made an election with
respect to one or more prior distributions, the most recent election will
control. A cash distribution attributable to a Participant's Stock Account, or a
Stock distribution attributable to a Participant's Cash Account, will be valued
on the basis of the Stock Price on the date as of which such distribution
occurs.

         IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company has caused this First Amendment to be
executed by its duly authorized Officer Committee as of November 1, 2001.

                                        BOWATER INCORPORATED

                                        By the Officer Committee

                                        /s/ Arnold M. Nemirow
                                        ----------------------------------------
                                        Arnold M. Nemirow, Chairman,
                                        President and Chief Executive Officer

                                        /s/ David G. Maffucci
                                        ----------------------------------------
                                        David G. Maffucci, Senior Vice President
                                        And Chief Financial Officer

                                        /s/ James T. Wright
                                        ----------------------------------------
                                        James T. Wright
                                        Vice President-Human Resources

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