Staff at long-established Otago printing firm Taieri Print are "nervous" as they await an announcement on job losses which is expected by the end of this week.
The job losses come as Auckland-based Kalamazoo Group, which also owns Wickliffe Solutions, acquires Taieri Print and merges it with Wickliffe Solutions.
Wickliffe Solutions chief information officer Steven Phillips, who is handling the acquisition of Taieri Print for Kalamazoo, said staff were "nervous" as they awaited this week's announcement, when a "small number" of the 30 staff at Taieri Print would be told they were being made redundant.
He said it was too early to say exactly how many staff would lose their jobs, but added that the majority would be given permanent positions as part of the acquisition.
Staff at the firm were told there would be redundancies two months ago when Kalamazoo managing director Steve D'Souza announced it was taking over the company and the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union (EPMU) had been involved in the redundancy process.
Had it not been for the acquisition, Taieri Print would have "gone out of business" and all staff would have lost their jobs, he said.
EPMU organiser Mike Kirwood said three staff at Taieri Print were EPMU members and he had been involved in the selection process which decided which staff would continue to be employed.
Staff at the company were glad most would be keeping their jobs, but were understandably anxious ahead of the announcement, he said.
"They don't know whether they are going to keep their jobs or not . . . so they are nervous."
Taieri Print started operating in 1881. In the past 36 years, it has moved nine times to accommodate growth and was the first company in Australasia to buy a 10-colour press.
