Ballance Agri-Nutrients management is set to meet workers’ union officials and staff next week as consultation continues on the company’s proposal to convert its manufacturing plant into a distribution and storage centre.
Ballance chief executive Kelvin Wickham publicly announced on April 17 the company’s proposal tohalt manufacturing fertiliser products at its Hewletts Rd site at Mount Maunganui could result in the loss of 62 roles.
The company is undergoing consultation meetings with the workers and union organisers for those that belong to the Maritime Union of NZ, E tū union and the Aviation Marine Engineers Association (AMEA).
An affected worker told the Bay of Plenty Times he and his colleagues felt “blindsided” by the company’s proposal.
But Wickham said the proposal was revealed once the company had “the right level” of information and analysis to make the announcement. He said it was still just a proposal and no decisions had been made.
The worker, who NZME agreed not to name, said he and his colleagues were “shocked and dismayed” to be told the company had been working on this proposal for more than a year.
“We had no clue this was coming and I feel that [the company] had an obligation to forewarn us that they intended to substantially restructure the company’s operations.
“At the coalface we all feel we’re one big family, and this is not how you treat your loyal staff.”
The worker said some staff had only worked for Ballance for a few months and others had recently resumed working for the company after extended breaks.
“Some of those guys had explored other training or employment opportunities and resumed working for Ballance believing there was job security in doing so.”
He said some of those who could be “worse off than him” if the proposal went ahead were employees on sponsored work visas. .
In his opinion, the worker said the company should have shown “more humanity and a little bit more empathy” to the staff in the way it delivered this “shocking news”.
“A lot of the staff, including me, are very emotional, upset, stressed and there is a lot anxiety about our futures.
“A lot of the guys have embedded their roots in this community, and our core skills are pretty unique to this business... It’s really hard turning up to work each day having this hanging over our heads.”
Maritime Union of NZ response
Maritime Union of NZ local organiser Graham McKean. Photo / John Borren
Graham McKean, local organiser for Maritime Union of NZ (MUNZ) said he met with Ballance senior officials and the 21 members who worked at Hewletts Rd plant site on April 23.
He confirmed 14 MUNZ members would be affected by the proposal, including members who worked in the acid plant generating power at the site.
Affected union members were still reeling from the news, he said.
A lot of those affected by the proposal had worked for Ballance for more than 20 years, some for 30-plus years, and some of whom were on the “cusp of retirement age” and “knew no other type of work”.
“Their roles are unique to this business, and their skills will not readily be transferable to other employment.”
For affected staff there was “a lot of emotion, and a lot of hurt” being faced with the potential lack of future pathways into alternative employment.
He said the proposal was not unexpected as in his view Ballance had been struggling financially in terms of its manufacturing operations the past few years, and had explored various other opportunities to try to grow the business, including in Australia.
However, despite regular meetings with the union, the proposed halting of manufacturing operations in Tauranga had not been mooted by the company until the announcement.
McKean said MUNZ would be working hard to try to ensure as many jobs as possible were retained.
He said the next consultation meeting was tentatively set down for May 13 and the outcome of the proposal was expected to be announced next month.
Wickham told the Bay of Plenty Times the proposal was part of a “wide transformation” programme the organisation had been working on over the past 12 months.
“This specific proposal was shared with our people at the point where we had the right level of information and analysis to move forward with a recommendation.
“We recognise that the proposed change to our manufacturing is significant for the co-operative and our people, and we remain committed to supporting them through this process.”
The consultation process was expected to be completed by the end of May, and no decisions had yet been made, he said.
“After this, we’ll take some time to review the feedback before a final decision is made, likely in June. Until that time, we continue to operate our manufacturing facilities as we normally would.
“Should the proposal go ahead, we’ll work alongside all impacted people to offer any suitable redeployment opportunities at Ballance, as well as career transition support.”
Sandra Conchie is a senior journalist at the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post who has been a journalist for 24 years. She mainly covers police, court and other justice stories, as well as general news. She has been a Canon Media Awards regional/community reporter of the year.
