October 24, 2013

Media Release

21 jobs lost as APN Print Wanganui closes plant

It’s a sad day for Whanganui as APN has confirmed it will be shutting its printing plant at the cost of 21 jobs, says the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union.

“This closure has been flagged for a long time,” says Paul Tolich, EPMU print and media industry organiser. “Our members aren’t surprised by this, but it’s always sad to see jobs being lost, especially when there isn’t a lot of work out there, especially in the regions.”

Thirteen of the workers are full or part-time, and an additional eight are casual workers.

APN is consolidating its printing work at a plant in the Hawkes Bay in response to a downturn in the printing industry.

“We appreciate APN’s reasons for closing the plant. It’s a sign of the times.

“The tragedy here is the lack of Government action to support our regional communities and economies. We’ve been calling for a national jobs strategy for over a year, and nothing has been done to save Kiwi jobs.”

The plant will finally close its doors on 20 December. EPMU members at the plant will receive redundancy pay as part of their collective agreement.

ENDS

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