7 Dec 2011

NZ company denies Samoa recruitment related to industrial action

5:47 am on 7 December 2011

The New Zealand ANZCO meat processor, CMP Rangitikei, has confirmed staff are in Samoa to recruit potential employees, prior to the busy holiday peak season.

The New Zealand Council of Trade Unions has called on ANZCO to clarify reports it's trying to recruit new workers in Samoa, while more than a hundred freezing workers from the Marton plant have been locked out since mid-October.

The plant manager, Darryl Mackenzie, says in a statement the move is also to fill vacancies due to resignations, but is independent of the current lockout situation.

He said none of the new staff will take the jobs of anyone that is currently a union member.

Darryl Mackenzie said the process to recruit in Samoa could take up to several weeks, and most of their interviews are referrals from existing employees.