Union still waiting to hear from McKenzie Seeds about layoffs
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 31/05/2012 (5120 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Nearly two weeks since 10 employees were abruptly laid off from McKenzie Seeds, the union is still waiting for official word from the company.
“This sort of caught everybody off guard, including our legal counsel,” said Blake Crothers, spokesperson for United Food and Commercial Workers Local 832. “Nobody has heard anything official yet, so I don’t know what the scoop is.”
Ten unionized office workers were laid off from the seed company on May 18.
No official statements have been released from either McKenzie Seeds or its parent company, Jiffy Group. However, the Brandon Sun has since learned it has been sold to an American company, Seed Holdings.
Officials from the companies have not responded to interview requests since the layoffs.
Crothers said it’s disappointing that the union has been kept in the dark.
“Any time you’ve got people who have lost their jobs, have served the company for a number of years and have been good workers, it’s a sad time for them and it’s a huge upheaval,” he said.
UFCW Local 832 has put career transition programs in place for the workers.
“It’s run out of our training centre,” he said. “We offer resumé writing and skills, and just help them get ready. They’ve got to look for a new job, so we try and make that transition as easy as possible.”
» jaustin@brandonsun.com