Heinz Wattie's is refusing to comment on suggestions it has made dozens of workers redundant at its Hastings operations since a change of ownership last year.
The company said this week it was laying off 100 staff in New Zealand as part of a restructure resulting in 245 jobs going from across its New Zealand, Australia and Papua New Guinea businesses. While Heinz Wattie's did not give details, union officials suggested this week's redundancies involved job losses for white collar workers based in the company's Auckland offices.
Of the 100 redundancies announced this week, only one Hawke's Bay job was known to union officials to have been lost from the Hastings operation.
But sources have told Hawke's Bay Today there have been several previous rounds of redundancies affecting Hastings staff since a change of ownership last year.
Heinz was purchased by billionaire Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway investment company and Brazilian private equity firm 3G for $28 billion in February 2013.
Sources said the new owners had been implementing a programme of cost-cutting, leading to the redundancies.
Redundancy agreements included clauses prohibiting laid-off workers talking publicly about their job losses, meaning that the full extent of the lay-offs had not been made public, they said.
Hawke's Bay community leaders including Hastings mayor Lawrence Yule, Tukituki MP Craig Foss and Napier MP Stuart Nash voiced frustration this week at the lack of information provided by Heinz Wattie's on its restructuring plans.
"I was given assurances two months ago that it was pretty much business as usual at the Hastings site," Mr Yule said.
"I'm hoping it is ... I can't confirm that."
Asked about the ongoing redundancy rounds and claims sacked workers had signed non-disclosure agreements, a spokesman for Heinz Wattie's said yesterday the company would not be making any further comment beyond Tuesday's statement announcing the 245-job Pacific-regional restructuring.
One source told Hawke's Bay Today about 50 non-union Hastings jobs were affected by this week's restructure.
Another source talked about attending a number of "final drinks" events for departing Hastings staff this year.
Staff made redundant included senior, long-serving managers, the source said.
Heinz Wattie's has three plants in New Zealand with two sites in Hastings and a site in Christchurch. The King St plant has more than 500 permanent employees and up to 800 seasonal workers while the Tomoana factory has about 230 permanent employees and up to 140 seasonal workers.
The Hastings operation was the original home of Wattie's and produces products for distribution throughout New Zealand and the world. The Tomoana factory produces pet foods, jams, food dressings, soups, sauces and burgers.
Have you been affected by Heinz Wattie's restructuring? Email: news@hbtoday.co.nz