Workers feel squeeze as sauce plant shuts

January 6th, 2012

FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda

Farewelling Heinz, worker Ron Warren clutched two mementos – giant 4kg bottles containing the last batch of Australian-made Heinz tomato sauce.

The dispatch worker, who has worked at the Heinz plant in northern Victoria for 15 years, is among 150 who have lost their jobs, following Heinz’s decision to move production to New Zealand.

As the plant at Girgarre, west of Shepparton, closed its doors on Friday, hailing an end to its tomato sauce production, Mr Warren said: “Of course it’s going to be tough, but life moves on.”

Mr Warren will be among about 17 workers who will stay on another week to pack up the yard and help Heinz clear up shop for the big move to New Zealand.

Other workers who clocked off a final time showed mixed emotion, some crying, others looking glum, while others were more upbeat.

Worker of 18 years Glenn McDonnell was unsurprised by the closure, announced in May.

“It’s a multinational company. They’re going to put their interests first before local interests,” he said.

“In the end, when they turned up here they had an American, Kiwi and an Englishman telling us they were shutting – no Aussies.

“They don’t really have any hold here with us.

“You’ve just got to try and move on.”

Mr McDonnell hopes to find work interstate in the mines.

“If you want something a bit more permanent you’ve got to go elsewhere.”

Mr McDonnell, like other workers and the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU), hopes the Goulburn Valley Food Cooperative will buy Heinz’s plant.

“This place makes a profit, Heinz knows that. They’ve got the best tomatoes in the world here.”

Heinz production worker and AMWU delegate Ken Covington said it was the end of an era.

“There’s people here who’ve been here since day one, and they’re the ones really feeling the closure,” he said.

“We’re a three-income family from Heinz until tonight. We’re a zero income family as from tomorrow, so our household’s feeling it too, like everyone else.

“But reality will set in Monday I suppose, when we don’t have to come back to work.”

Mr Covington said most workers had put on brave faces.

“But it was sort of like going to a funeral really; that’s how it felt earlier this morning.

“No-one wanted to be here, but we want to walk out with our heads held high and a bit of pride.”

Mr Covington said about 20 out of 146 workers so far had future job prospects.

He believed the move to New Zealand would affect product quality, saying it is a misconception tomato paste will be produced in New Zealand.

“They won’t be doing that at all.

“They’re going to import it from South-East Asia, South America and the United States.

“(But) we produce the best paste in the world here. It’s been acknowledged worldwide that we produce the best paste.

“We use the world’s best practices, we have the best farmers.”

The Goulburn Valley Food Cooperative hopes to offer a second bid to buy the Heinz plant.

Meanwhile, Friday night workers have been told not to come in and the Saturday shift will not go ahead.