About 23 Wattie's staff to lose jobs in Hastings

Job losses look imminent at Heinz-Watties in Hastings, due to a potential restructure. Photo / Duncan Brown

Food giant Heinz-Wattie's looks set to disestablish up to 23 jobs from their Hastings branch just weeks before Christmas.

Due to a potential restructure within the company several middle management jobs in the region could be lost this festive period.

A Heinz-Wattie's spokesman said they are still engaged in a consultation process which includes offering voluntary redundancy.

"As a result of a recent review, we are proposing to simplify our Hastings site operations and provide clear lines of responsibility," he said.

The spokesman said the food production company needs to evolve to make sure it is running efficiently for the long-term.

"From time to time, we evaluate our business and processes to ensure that we are operating effectively," he said.

E tū Union organiser advocate Norm Mouritsen said the timing of the decision is ridiculous.

"It's an insensitive and pathetic time to do it," he said.

"There's no reason in the world why any company needs to do this, especially this company, just a few weeks before Christmas."

E tū are representing 17 of the 23 affected by the restructure.

Mouritsen said there has been mixed feelings about the situation - but those who have been around for 30 to 40 years seem content about taking severance.

"There are some who think it's great after a long duration of service they can get a good package - for others it's just shock," he said.

"We have an excellent collective agreement that has brilliant terms and conditions for redundancy."

However, he said that almost everyone affected went off on sick leave or stress leave for the first few days: "that's how bad it was."

The company's spokesman said Heinz-Wattie's remains committed to treating everyone involved with dignity and respect.

"Our objective is to minimise the impact on people as much as possible while evolving our operations in a progressive way, responding to market changes and consumer preferences," he said.

Hastings Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst said it's really difficult for the community to face job losses after the challenges of this year.

"Heinz Wattie's remains committed to Hastings and they will be looking at efficiencies and making tough decisions regarding their staffing," she said.

"There are a lot of job opportunities in various industries across our district and we encourage the affected workers to use the support available to them to help pathway into a new exciting career."