CTU MEDIA RELEASE
19 May 2008
Meat industry can’t afford the loss of skilled workers
The Council of Trade Unions has called for an active approach to finding jobs for meat workers being made redundant,
following a further announcement today by PPCS, this time in relation to their Burnside site in Dunedin.
“We need to ensure that the skills of these workers are not lost to the meat industry,” CTU secretary Carol Beaumont
said. “The workers need all possible assistance to find new work and that where possible they are retained in the
industry.”
“Unions have been working with employers and government on a strategic approach for the future of the meat industry,
including support for workers affected by redundancies, and this work group is meeting again very soon.”
“We have previously supported the Meat Workers Union call for a more coordinated meat industry, given the importance of
the food sector to the economy, and to give better certainty to the workforce.”
“Clearly this announcement will be a difficult one for the workers, their families and the wider community,” Carol
Beaumont said.
ENDS