Up to 125 workers will lose their jobs after Australasia's biggest food company Goodman Fielder confirmed it would close its Hamilton meat factory.
Workers at the Frankton facility were called to a meeting on Monday morning where Goodman Fielder NZ managing director Peter Reidie confirmed the factory would close by the end of March, FIRST Union said.
"While workers were disappointed to hear the news that the site would close and they would be made redundant, there was also relief that after a month of waiting the final decision had been made," FIRST Union's general secretary Robert Reid said.
Sydney-based company Goodman Fielder consulted staff after telling them at the start of January it planned to sell its New Zealand meat division to Hellers to repay debt.
Staff gained community support to keep the site open from local Labour, National and NZ First MPs, some Hamilton city councillors, Federated Farmers and the Waikato Regional Council, Mr Reid said.
The company will also sell its pizza business to Papatoetoe-based Mommas Frozen Products, raising net proceeds from both sales of between $NZ15 million ($A13.96 million) and $NZ17 million.
Goodman Fielder says it will pay out full redundancy if it can't find the 125 staff positions at other Goodman Fielder or Hellers sites.
