186 JOBS GONE AT LANE WALKER RUDKIN

The first wave of redundancies have been announced at Lane Walker Rudkin.

The Pahiatua and Greytown factories have been closed entirely with a total loss of 80 jobs.

At the Christchurch factory 102 job losses have been announced and, although no-one is saying, more job losses can be expected.

Another 60 jobs will also likely go with the closure of LWR's Brisbane factory.

Laila Harré, Secretary of the National Distribution Union (NDU) reserved some of her harshest criticism for Westpac who put LWR into receivership.

“Workers have been thrown out of work with no notice, and no money,” saaid Harre this morning.

“We understand that wages for the week just worked may be put in workers’bank accounts on Tuesday next week, but there is no guarantee they will see any of the holiday or redundancy pay that is capped by the Receivership laws at $16,420.

“This is a dreadful situation and the workers and their union are very angry. How the bank allowed LWR to continue to trade and build up so much debt for so long is beyond belief. Yet today, that same bank, Westpac, washes its hands of its responsibility to the workers and refuses to even meet with the NDU and Council of Trade Unions to discuss the situation.'

Harre also criticised the National-led Government for ignoring the plight of LWR workers.

'The Government must also respond more effectively. John Key has said he wants to save iconic firms, and reminisced about his first job at LWR. But he has completely dropped the ball on requests made to him from by the Mayoral emergency meeting on the LWR receivership last week. Since the crisis at LWR emerged last week we have made repeated requests for Government support so redundant workers can run their own support service. Yet despite Government promises to ‘take the hard edge of the recession’ and to support communities trying to do things for themselves it’s looking like the workers will have to run cake stalls to set up their own support service.'