Nestlé today announced that it is consulting employees at its Wiri factory regarding a proposal to discontinue producing confectionery on site.
Under the proposal, Nestlé will relocate its Allen’s chews lollies, manufactured at Wiri exclusively for sale in Australia, to its larger Allen’s factory in regional Victoria.
The proposal will see up to 45 roles made redundant, with Nestlé proposing to offer voluntary redundancy in the first instance.
While the proposal will see confectionery manufacture cease at the site, the factory’s larger manufacturing division, a Culinary facility, will not be affected by the proposed changes. The factory will continue as the regional hub for Maggi, manufacturing culinary products under the Maggi and Nestlé Docello brands for local and export sale in the retail and food service sectors. This facility has a strong focus on meeting growing demand for gluten free products in the food service sector.
Nestlé Confectionery General Manager Chris O’Donnell said that Nestlé regrets that the proposal will mean job losses at Wiri. He confirmed that the company would provide all affected staff with a generous redundancy package, as well as access to outplacement services.
“This doesn’t reflect on the personal efforts of our staff. It has been a commercial decision made after careful consideration of the benefits of simplifying and consolidating manufacture of our Australian lollies,” Mr O’Donnell said.
Staff and unions were advised today of the proposal and will have the opportunity to comment on the plans in the coming two weeks.