Jobs beckon for laid-off workers

Workers laid off through restructuring at New Zealand Dairy Foods will not be waiting around for long, says a union representative.

Plans by Dairy Foods, owned by billionaire Graeme Hart, to shut its Mainland Products Meadow Fresh yoghurt and beverage plant in Russley Rd, Christchurch, could see 50 staff lose their jobs.

But Brian Wooller, southern union organiser for the Dairy Workers Union, is confident most, if not all, will find new jobs quite quickly.

He said a local company coincidentally looking for 50 workers had contacted him.

"This is one of those good times, I suppose, [in] that the job market is pretty buoyant in Christchurch."

Although "shell-shocked", workers were realistic about the actions of the new boss, Hart.

"They foresaw this coming because that's the reputation of the new owner."

Wooller said more "tweaks" were possible but he did not think the closure signalled further large-scale job cutting.

Andrew Little, the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union's national secretary, said the plant closure had been made without consultation.

"This says to us that when you are dealing with a company like this, you get what you can, while you can."

When the plant closes on October 21, production will be moved to the Longburn plant near Palmerston North.

Little said workers had been stunned by the closure announcement. "There is an expectation among employers that employees will show enormous loyalty, but it's incidents like this that show it is not always reciprocated."

Lawrence Allen, deputy delegate for the Dairy Workers Union, said the company blamed the rising cost of oil and the knock-on impact on transport costs in the South Island for the decision to move north.

He said workers had been offered the chance to relocate to Palmerston North or to take redundancy.

The engineering union said re-organisation at the Blenheim Rd, Christchurch, UHT milk plant could also lead to job losses.

Seven staff from IT and administration at the Mainland Products Dunedin site were also made redundant this month.

The restructuring follows a $1.17 billion brand swap between Dairy Foods and rival Fonterra last month.

Dairy shake-up

NZ Dairy Foods plans to shut its Meadow Fresh yoghurt and beverage plant in Christchurch.

Company blames rising cost of oil and the knock-on impact on South Island transport costs.

Union is confident most workers will find new jobs quickly.

-NZPA