KEY POINTS:
Staff at a Canterbury manufacturer should have been finding out from their bosses their jobs were moving to a new town, but Prime Minister Helen Clark inadvertently filled them in.
Designline, an Ashburton bus designer and producer, announced in a public statement yesterday that it was shifting its operation about 60km up State Highway One to Rolleston, near Christchurch.
The company bosses had been keeping the decision close to their chests. But during a visit to their premises on Friday, Helen Clark let the cat out of the bag when she made a casual remark about Designline's "plans for the future" and "relocation".
This surprised many, including an unimpressed Ashburton Mayor Bede O'Malley and a union representing workers at the company.
Designline chief financial officer Greg Morris declined to comment yesterday's about Helen Clark's remarks, saying the Herald would have to ask her why she said what she did.
The Herald asked Helen Clark through a spokeswoman, but was told she had no comment to make. She has previously said she was not aware she could not discuss the company's plans.
Mr O'Malley said it was obviously a "slip of the tongue" by Helen Clark.
"But I find it difficult to understand how that came about."
Ashburton had lost an important employer with roots in the town "and I'm disappointed at the way we became aware of the news".
Mr O'Malley suspected some of Designline's 150 staff might have got wind the move was coming, but the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union (EPMU) representing 26 staff said it had not been told.
EPMU spokesman Ged O'Connell said workers were given confirmation of the shift at meetings yesterday.
Negotiations about a possible move had been kept confidential in recent weeks.
Designline said the move got the company closer to suppliers, a port and a larger workforce.
About 100 new jobs would be created at the company over time following its shift.
While the move to Rolleston was only an extra 40-minute drive for workers - which Designline points out is "a quicker drive than many Auckland commuters face each day" - Mr O'Connell said it would impact on staff. Some might take other jobs close to home.
