McKenzie Seeds sold to Seed Holdings

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This article was published 23/05/2012 (5137 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

“Tears, shock, fear.”

Those were the words used by one employee to describe the atmosphere at McKenzie Seeds after abrupt layoffs at the plant last Friday.

The layoffs were conducted like something out of a scene from a movie, as employees received no notice and security guards escorted them out of the building with their belongings under their arms.

The news caught everyone who works at the packet seed company by surprise, said the employee, who wished to remain anonymous.

“No warning prior to the bombshell in front office,” the employee said. “Unknown security guards escorted people out … Little nervous about saying more.”

The front door to McKenzie Seeds door remained locked on Monday. One employee answered the door only to decline comment, saying the plant was “closed for inventory.”

The layoffs are part of the sale of the plant to a company in the United States.

McKenzie Seeds, which is owned by the Jiffy Group, has been sold to an American company, Seed Holdings, according to the employee and confirmed by another employee at Plantation Products, which is also owned by Seed Holdings.

It’s unclear if the layoffs were carried out by the Jiffy Group in order to facilitate the sale or if McKenzie seeds was sold and Seed Holdings executed the layoffs.

Fifty-six McKenzie Seeds employees are part of a union represented by the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 832.

“Union agreement remains established,” the employee said. “Expect negotiations in fall.”

Blake Crothers, a spokesman for the union, confirmed the layoffs on Friday, but didn’t have a lot of new information on Tuesday.

“We are still yet to receive any notice from the company,” Crothers said. “Until we are notified from the company, we’re not really sure of anything … What we’ve heard is that there is nine full-time positions, three part-time that have been laid off, with the possibility of one more.”

All of the personnel laid off were office personnel, Crothers said.

“We are setting up job transition and resumé assistance for those who are affected if they need it,” Crothers said. “If they need help, we’re here to help them.”

The layoffs came on the same day that Ferry-Morse, a sister company to McKenzie Seeds within the Jiffy Group, was sold to Seed Holdings. Ferry-Morse also announced Friday that it will be closing a seed distribution centre in Oregon and laying off almost 200 workers across the U.S., according to the Portland Business Journal.

“The Seed Holdings company has acquired the home and garden division of the Jiffy Group, which does include the Ferry-Morse and McKenzie Seeds companies,” said a secretary with Plantation Products, a company also owned by Seed Holdings.

“The Seed Holdings company owns Plantation Products, Ferry-Morse and McKenzie, so we’re kind of like sister companies,” she said.

Seed Holdings is expected to release a statement regarding the acquisitions on Friday.

» ctweed@brandonsun.com