KEY POINTS:
It is Dunedin's turn to brace itself for the worst as meat processing company PPCS calls workers at its Burnside plant to a meeting today.
The company last week closed its Oringi plant in Dannevirke with the loss of 450 jobs and Dunedin Mayor Peter Chin fears the news will be the same for the 120 Burnside workers.
PPCS will not say why the meeting is being held, but has warned that further closures are likely, Radio New Zealand reported.
Last year, PPCS closed its Te Kauwhata venison plant in northern Waikato, due to a decline in the number of deer available for processing.
The Burnside plant is the largest of five PPCS deer processing sites in the South Island.
The company also has venison plants in Southland, Christchurch, the West Coast and Rotorua.
Any news of closure at Burnside would be a blow to the Dunedin economy, as it would come only a month after Fisher & Paykel announced it was closing it nearby Mosgiel plant with the loss of 430 jobs, and 50 jobs were lost when Dunedin knitwear firm Tamahine also announced its closure.
- NZPA
