Pink Batts manufacturer to cut Christchurch jobs

29 roles are to be cut at the Christchurch manufacturing facility of Tasman Insulation, the company which manufacturers the iconic Pink Batts brand of products.

The company is proposing to consolidate its manufacturing operations in Auckland, creating nine new jobs in their Penrose facility.

“This is yet another company who are saying they cannot compete with cheap overseas imports in the current economy,” says Ron Angel, EPMU organiser for construction.

“Tasman are saying they’re committed to keeping Pink Batts New Zealand-made, but we have no guarantees they’ll be able to do that unless the dollar comes down and our manufacturing industry gets some support from the government.”

EPMU members at Tasman Insulation will receive redundancy compensation as part of their collective agreement. Tasman has committed to help redundant workers relocate or take up jobs in parent company, Fletcher Building.

The final decision will be announced in November.

ENDS

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