Fifty jobs lost at BOP Meat Packers

1.00pm

Fifty jobs will be axed at a Western Bay of Plenty meat-packing plant that is being shut down in a major company reshuffle.

Bay of Plenty Meat Packers, a 25-year-old plant in Tauranga, will shut its doors on October 22, after it was decided to move operations to Auckland.

Staff were told within the past two weeks, but workers indicated they already had an inkling their jobs were on the line.

One employee, who did not want to be named, said that staff were told a year ago the factory's closure was imminent.

Aotearoa Meatworkers Union representative Ashley Worsnop said staff had been on edge since the company's owner, Progressive Enterprises, dumped 80 people from the plant almost two years ago.

In October 2002, the beef-boning division was shut and moved to Progressive's Foodmore subsidiary in Auckland.

"The closure was not completely unexpected," said Mr Worsnop.

But that has done little to ease tension in the factory.

Mr Worsnop said the factory had a "family feel to it".

In some cases, husbands, wives, brothers and sisters all worked under the one roof. At least two couples were working at the plant.

"They will be out of work and are unsure how they will feed their families."

Bay of Plenty Meatpackers manager Peter Milne said the closure of the plant was unfortunate, but could not be avoided.

Mr Milne backed the company's move, saying it was not productive for Progressive Enterprises to continue operating in Tauranga.

"At the moment they transport all the meat to us for processing and we send it back to them when the job is done. That is a bad use of money and resources."

It was simply not logical to do the work in Tauranga when the Auckland plant had the facilities to do the job.

"It is really unfortunate for the staff and Tauranga."

Mr Milne said employees had been given the option of working at the Auckland branch.

Only two people had so far taken this offer.

Union representative Mr Worsnop indicated it was too much for some of the staff to shift to Auckland. Most of them had young families.

Mr Milne said the company was doing its best to relocate staff.

- NZPA