Darren Mason, the chief executive of Infracon, with Chris Edsall, Downers manager for the Whanganui, Rangitikei and the Tararua at the workers support hub in Woodville last week.PHOTOS/CHRISTINE McKAY
Darren Mason, the chief executive of Infracon, with Chris Edsall, Downers manager for the Whanganui, Rangitikei and the Tararua at the workers support hub in Woodville last week.PHOTOS/CHRISTINE McKAY
Redundant Infracon workers will have one less headache after the Tararua District Council's decision to waive penalties on rates arrears.
"Our council's chief financial officer, Raj Suppiah, has said no penalties will be added to unpaid rates in the meantime," Tararua District Mayor Roly Ellis told the Dannevirke News. "However,it would be good if those affected talked to our rates team rather than let their situation become unmanageable."
And although the workers support hub in Woodville closed on Friday, Mr Ellis said he was keen to keep dialogue going between job seekers and companies with positions available.
But for one Infracon worker who has been with the company for 12 years, the decision about his future has been simple.
"I'm going fishing," he said. "Work out of town isn't an option so I'll go crayfishing with a friend instead."
Meanwhile job offers are coming in, giving workers more options than they originally thought they would have.
"It's a bit more than we had two days ago," Dave, who has worked for the company for 21 years, said. "But some of our workers won't get jobs, others might be lucky, but there's that age group who could struggle. I'm worried people who don't get jobs will have to move out of the district."
PAPERWORK: Redundant Infracon staff filling out application forms for jobs in Woodville last Thursday. DAN17668
However, the support at the workers hub had given people some hope.
"It (the liquidation) came so suddenly, there hasn't been time to think," he said.
Kathy Braddick, of Pahiatua Helping Hands, and Kerry Verwaayen, of the Dannevirke and Districts Home Budgeting Service, were able to offer practical help to former Infracon workers. But Mrs Braddick said the most important thing was for workers to look out for each other.
"You guys need to talk to each other and be there for your mates," she said to the more than 80 former Infracon workers at the support hub last week.
Downers EDI, which has 8000 employees in New Zealand, has won the roading alliance contract with the Tararua District Council and will be conducting interviews this week with former Infracon staff.
"I can't give exact numbers (of staff), but we'll have a core group who will work out of this district," Downers regional manager Chris Edsall said. "Part of our selection process will be to get the best person for the job and building a zero harm culture. To get the best outcome for the alliance we will be selecting people who can do the job right the first time and on budget."
Downers are looking for people with the right attitude, Don Wright, the company's operations manager for the lower North Island, said.
Workers signing on with Downers would also take roles in rural fire and civil defence as part of their jobs, Mr Wright said. "I'd already head-hunted Jack Steed from the Tararua District Council (April 2011) and took him to work in the Chatham Islands. Now I've brought him back to work as part of the alliance," he said.
Along with his role at Downers, Mr Steed would work as a rural fire officer in the district, freeing up principal rural fire officer Paddy Driver to concentrate on his civil defence role, Blair King, the Tararua District Council's chief executive, said.
