\u201cI\u2019ll be looking for jobs – I\u2019ve tried supermarkets, and other mills around here. If not, I\u2019ll have to go temping [or] something.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it will be a burden for the whole community. They will share our grief. The loss of jobs and productivity in the region isn\u2019t good for anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n
RNZ understood Carter Holt Harvey wanted to consolidate resources in Kawerau in the Bay of Plenty.<\/p>\n
E t\u016b national secretary Rachel Mackintosh said it was a strategic decision that ignored the human cost as the company was not going broke and instead chose to centralise its operations.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut we\u2019re talking about people\u2019s lives here, and it\u2019s cold comfort for more than 140 workers who are now facing unemployment in a region already hit hard,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese workers, many of whom have put decades of their lives into the mill, are now caught in the crossfire of a corporate decision.\u201d<\/p>\n
E t\u016b was calling on Carter Holt Harvey to support its staff and said the Government needed to step up.<\/p>\n
\u201cInstead of shrugging its shoulders at rising unemployment, the Government must be part of the solution, with targeted support for affected workers and communities.\u201d<\/p>\n