Workers strike by Heinz

THREE tomato growers and 146 employees have mislaid work after Heinz announced it would tighten a Girgarre bureau yesterday.

Workers were told during a assembly yesterday morning that a bureau would tighten in phases in 6 to 9 months.

Heinz will change a prolongation of salsas to Hastings, New Zealand, as partial of a tellurian capability devise to boost prolongation potency and make improved use of a existent capacity.

As partial of a changes, Heinz will deposit $5 million into a baby food prolongation site in Echuca.

But Heinz Australia’s supply sequence executive Mike Robinson pronounced a additional investment in Echuca wouldn’t interpret to some-more jobs.

“It’s unequivocally a prolongation upgrade, not unequivocally jobs,’’ he said. “There might be some event to pierce a singular series of people.’’

Mr Robinson pronounced counselling services would be accessible to a Girgarre workers in entrance weeks and months.

“We wish to assistance a employees by these tough times. There is utterly a few long-serving employees, so it’s utterly tough on them,’’ he said.

Mr Robinson pronounced Heinz would also assistance a workers with training to find destiny employment.

Tomato growers will be offering financial assistance for transition to other crops or supply arrangements.

Member for Northern Victoria Sharman Stone pronounced a closure had come as a startle to a workers and a community.

Dr Stone pronounced a bureau had been Girgarre’s vital employer for a past 20 years.

“It’s intolerable that Heinz would be holding a prolongation of tomato salsa and ketchup out of Australia when a tomatoes are literally grown around a corner,’’ she said.