Affco has confirmed it will restructure its Land Meat plant in Castlecliff and hopes to move the 44 jobs there to its Imlay plant in Gonville.
Wanganui's NZ Meatworkers' Union secretary John Woodhead met the Castlecliff plant's 90 staff on Thursday. Most of them are union members.
They had been told the restructure would happen, with lamb slaughtering moving to the Imlay plant. Affco has agreed to leave the change until the new year, to the workers' relief.
"It's not winning the lottery, but it beats the hell out of losing a job before Christmas," Mr Woodhead said.
Workers are still in a state of uncertainty. It will be a week or two before they know which 44 jobs are to go.
Affco is hopeful all staff who lose their jobs will get work at Imlay, and Mr Woodhead said there was a big need for experienced knifehands there.
Jobs at Imlay, for those who choose to accept them, would be less secure, especially for new employees.
"Land Meat is an excellent little plant, with all year round employment. That's a rarity in the meat industry now," Mr Woodhead said.