Freezer room worker

By ESTELLE SARNEY

Lionel Pereira has always preferred winter to summer, so has no problem working in an ice-cream freezer for eight hours a day. Until six months ago, when he was promoted to supervisor, he spent two years sorting and lifting boxes in Tip Top's Auckland distribution section, in temperatures of -26C to -30C.

He is still constantly in and out of the freezers in his new job. Union regulations stipulate that the men and women he oversees can take a 15-minute break every 40 minutes to warm up.

"Some who don't like the cold stick to that," says Pereira. "Others who don't mind it so much might do one or two hours in, then take a half-hour break."

Tip Top provides thermal trousers and jackets, safety boots, gloves, balaclavas and ear muffs. Pereira says a freezer hand earns one of the best rates in the company, taking home about $500 a week.

The company prefers new workers to have previous similar experience, but will train unskilled staff.

"It's quite physical work, so you can actually sweat. But then your sweat freezes to your eyebrows and moustache."

Pereira says you have to adopt a certain attitude to cope with working in the cold every day.

"You have to be quite upbeat to handle it, but also laid back so you don't get frustrated. On days when you're sick of it, you just remember that you're part of a team, and you don't want to let the others down."