40 more jobs lost to cheap imports

Another New Zealand manufacturer is closing its doors, giving the lie to the idea that we have a “rock star” economy or any strategy for jobs growth.

Wellpack is a paper bag manufacturer based in Upper Hutt, Wellington. All 40 of their workers have been made redundant by the plant’s closure.

“We’re seeing more and more companies which just can’t survive when the market’s flooded with cheap imports,” says Louisa Jones, EPMU industry organiser for the food industry.

“These workers have been at the company for ten, fifteen, even forty years. It’s going to be hugely difficult for them to find comparable work with good wages and job security.

“New Zealand is a country with such great natural resources. It makes no sense that we can’t grow our own food and pack it in our own paper bags made from our own timber,” says Louisa.

“The government’s continued inaction on our high dollar and the ongoing, real crisis in our manufacturing industry is shocking.”

Wellpack will shut its doors in the next five to six weeks. The EPMU is working with the company on the question of redundancy compensation.

ENDS

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