Tairawhiti reels at devastating loss of 190 jobs
Labour List MP Moana Mackey says the loss of 190 jobs in the past three days in Tairawhiti is devastating news for the workers concerned and for the community.
Moana Mackey said Tairawhiti was struggling to cope with the news at the weekend that food processor Cedenco is to close one of its factories, resulting in at least 125 seasonal workers losing their jobs, and now that 65 jobs are to be lost in the imminent closure of Winstone Pulp International’s Prime Sawmill.
"The reality is that the 190 people who are about to lose their jobs and their families face a sadly uncertain future," she said.
"With 1300 New Zealanders signing up to the dole each week, a region like Tairawhiti just cannot hope to cope with blows like this."
Moana Mackey said the closures reinforced the desperate need for the Government to provide a real jobs plan to maintain or create employment opportunities for New Zealanders.
"New Zealanders want real solutions from the Government to keep them in work, but they still aren’t getting any. So far the Government’s approach has simply been to create the illusion that it’s tackling rising unemployment, and at the same time it has been slashing the skills training budget at polytech level.
"Certainly the Tairawhiti region is not going to benefit in any way from the maximum of 280 jobs that might be created by John Key’s cycleway projects.
"In fact, absolutely nothing constructive has come out of his Jobs Summit for Tairawhiti people. The Jobs Summit was a talkfest, and nothing more," Moana Mackey said.
"Urgent action is needed to keep Kiwis in work. The Government needs to get real about unemployment. The only reality for Tairawhiti is more hardworking people losing their jobs."
