Hawke's Bay staff given chop as butchers shut

Two Hawke's Bay butcher shops have closed leaving 24 employees owed wages.

Richmond Meats employees in Hastings have been locked out of their shop and have been unable to contact their boss.

Four staff at Richmond Meats in Waipukurau say they have been told they have lost their jobs.

The two shops were previously both owned by Auckland businessman Russell Green, but the Waipukurau business was sold in October.

Employee and union delegate in Hastings, Cissy Morrell, said the 20 Hastings staff had expected to restart work in the Maraekakaho Rd meat outlet on April 4.

"They told us to take two weeks off because the shop was going to be renovated," she said.

But they returned to find the shop locked and nobody answering the phone.

It has placed the employees in a difficult situation, as they cannot prove they have lost their jobs.

"We can't get help from social welfare because we have to have a note from our former employer first. It's just terrible - how are we supposed to survive?"

She said meat had been removed from the premises.

"Before we left they told us to pack the meat into the freezer and it was all taken to Waipukurau."

Richmond Meats (Waipukurau) closed its doors to customers on March 18 after goods were seized from its shop by three men.

Police were called to the shop but later said the incident was not a police matter.

Waipukurau assistant manager Rachel Newton said she rang the owner last week to ask him if the butchery might be reopening.

"He just said he'd had enough and that it wasn't going to reopen," she said.

Russell Green, from Auckland, is the sole director and majority shareholder of Richmond Meats Ltd and owns the buildings that housed both shops.

He has extensive business interests and was involved in three Team NZ America's Cup campaigns in a management role.

Mr Green sold Richmond Meats (Waipukurau) Ltd to McHannigan Contracting on October 20, but continued running Richmond Meats Ltd on Maraekakaho Rd.

Last week he told Hawke's Bay Today that the closure and renovations in Hastings were on behalf of a new Richmond Meats' owner, who was due to take possession of the business on April 11.

This week Mr Green did not respond to calls or emails from Hawke's Bay Today.

Michael McHannigan, from McHannigan Contracting, also did not respond to calls.

Both the Waipukurau and Stortford Lodge retail operations were previously owned by Silver Fern Farms. The company has issued a public notice distancing itself from Richmond Meats.

"These shops were sold by the the previous owners, Silver Fern Farms, in August 2010," the notice said.

"Silver Fern Farms has not been involved in the ownership, management or any other capacity with these shops since that time. The company views the recent closure of these shops as regrettable."