The National Union of Workers has condemned a decision by Nestle to shed 44 jobs — one-third of its work force — at the Purina PetCare factory in the small central-western NSW town of Blayney.

NUW state secretary Derrick Belan said on July 20 that the recent spate of sackings in regional areas is “a disturbing trend, one which financially cripples regional areas as well as the workers involved and their families”.

“It is another instance of profits before people ... This is also another example of the cockiness of big business under Howard’s new IR laws ... companies sack large numbers of workers because the law allows them to.”

The NUW is calling on state and federal governments to intervene. “John Howard keeps talking about so-called economic prosperity, well, for the families of workers at Purina in Blayney, that prosperity may turn to poverty because of Howard’s big-business mates at Nestle”, Belan said.

Kerry Smith

From Green Left Weekly, July 26, 2006.
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