Hutton’s worker moving forward after third redundancy

With the closure of the Hutton’s factory looming one of its workers is fortunate to have lined up a new job to begin this Monday.

Glenn Bratton, 49, was one of 125 workers told they would be laid off when it was announced earlier this year that the Frankton site will shut down.

So far, 30 Hutton’s workers have found new employment.

Mr Bratton has put in 16 years of service with Hutton’s, and this redundancy is the third he has been through since he was cut by the railways in the late 80s.

His new role, as a treatment plant operator for Lumbercorp in Ohinewai, was the same work he had done before starting at Hutton’s.

“I was quite lucky, I had an interview and the guy said ‘when do you want to start?

“Only because I had four years experience doing that job.”

He remains concerned for his Hutton’s colleagues still looking for work, especially the older employees, some of whom have been with Hutton’s for over 40 years.

“[These workers] came straight from school and had never done anything else. They’re going to find it hard to get a job.”

A scheme has been organised by FIRST Union to help Hutton’s workers find employment.

FIRST Union organiser Jack Taylor met with Hutton’s delegates and encouraged them to establish the role of a redundancy support worker.

The role involves talking to the workers to find out what kind of employment they want and then creating a profile of the skills they may have to help them get into that work.

The redundancy support worker then contacts prospective employers to try and place those workers into new jobs.

Mr Taylor said the role is not solely about finding jobs.

“It’s [about] looking after redundant workers, making regular contact with those people and assisting them where they can.

“Are they having a few issues at home, do they want some budgetary advice or do they need some counselling – it’s all about support.”

Glenn Bratton, himself a FIRST Union delegate, said the redundancy support scheme was a good idea.

“They’re actually going to employ someone, one of the workers, to go down to the trade union centre and try and help our guys find work.

“I think it’s a good credit to them.”

The factory, owned by Australian food company Goodman Fielder, produces well known smallgoods meat brands including Kiwi bacon and ham, Hutton’s meat products and Sizzlers pre-cooked sausages.

In January, Goodman Fielder confirmed it had sold its meat brands to Christchurch company Hellers and would shut down the Frankton processing site at the end of this month.