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The Dairy Workers Union says redundancies at a Fonterra packaging plant in Waikato will come as a heavy blow to those affected and the union will be doing everything it can to support workers.
Fonterra are proposing 114 positions - of which approximately 80 are Dairy Workers Union members' positions - are made redundant at its Canpac packing operations facility in Hamilton.
"This announcement is the start of a consultation phase and we will be talking to our members and with the company to create good options for affected workers," says Dairy Workers Union national secretary Chris Flatt.
"Dairy Workers Union members at the site are covered by a collective agreement, and we are using the processes set out in the agreement to protect workers as much as possible."
"A consultative committee will now be established to minimise the impact on workers. We are working with the company on options like redeployment inside the business and in the wider Fonterra group as well as voluntary redundancies."
Dairy Workers Union members at Canpac have redundancy compensation provisions in their collective agreement.
Fonterra plans to realign its packing operations at Canpac, in the Waikato, to focus more on paediatric nutritionals.
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