A Dunedin Foodstuffs worker says she is devastated to have been laid off just before Christmas.
She is one of seven warehouse workers, most aged over 60, the company has confirmed have been made redundant at the grocery giant’s distribution centre in South Dunedin.
Foodstuffs, owner of the New World, Pak’n Save and Four Square brands, said the redundancies were part of "operational enhancements" and it defended its handling of the redundancy process.
A redundant store worker spoke to the Otago Daily Times on condition of anonymity.
Visibly upset, the woman said she had worked at the centre for more than 15 years and was stunned at the company’s lack of loyalty.
"I just feel ... absolutely devastated."
Most of the affected staff were older, and the woman said she was "one of the lucky ones", because unlike many of the others, she was mortgage-free.
She remained hopeful she would secure another job and continue being able to pay her bills, although her 26-week payout would see her through in the short term, she said.
"I just don’t want to end up on the dole."
About 12 staff were asked to reapply for jobs, before seven were told their roles would be disestablished, she said.
They will finish work on Friday, just four days before Christmas.
First Union organiser Ken Young slammed Foodstuffs for its decision to lay off the staff just before the holiday period.
The fact most of the workers were older would make it difficult for them to find work, he said.
"They’ll get through with their redundancy compensation, but finding a job ... most of them are over 60 and it’s going to be difficult."
Foodstuffs NZ head of external relations Antoinette Laird, of Auckland, said in a statement the layoffs were part of a process of increasing efficiency.
"To ensure the [distribution centre] is future-fit and suits the way our suppliers and customers are now working with us, we have made a number of operational enhancements, to reduce our environmental impact and increase efficiencies."
Ms Laird defended the company’s consultation process.
"We conducted a robust and transparent consultation process with our team and looped in union advocates where appropriate."
• In November last year, Foodstuffs shed 14 finance and administration staff in Dunedin, all having received redundancy payments.
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Comments
6 months redundancy and not far from retiring 'not fair'? Really?
This might come as a surprise to you, but most people actually want to work and being made redundant is a kick in the guts and feels damned unfair, especially after 15 years of work. If you are over 60 it is also a lot harder to secure a replacement job. So yeah, "unfair" probably is exactly how it feels.
Six months redundancy sounds great! My husband and I both worked in a Foodstuffs supermarket, and were given three weeks notice of it's closure with no redundancy payments. All staff were promised help with finding work - not surprisingly most of us were left to find new employment ourselves but the relatives of those that owned the supermarket were sorted with new jobs before the rest of us knew we would lose ours. Foodstuffs are terrible when it comes to redundancy.