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Over 200 workers “stood down” at JBS Australia sites

Meat processor JBS Australia has reportedly cut "hundreds" of jobs at two sites, with the meat workers’ union claiming two other sites may also see cuts.

Stock and Land reports that the Brooklyn, Melbourne and Bordertown, South Australia plants would shed 200 and 60 positions respectively.

The news source was told by JBS director John Berry that the workers had been stood down and “not sacked”.

Berry told the ABC that cyclical market conditions were to blame.

“My understanding is JBS is not the only processing business that has made this decision; there are others in the industry," he said.

The AAP reports that the union believes high prices for lamb are behind the reduction in capacity.

The Australasian Meat Industry Employees Union (AMIEU), which found out about the news just last Friday, said that factories at Cobram (Victoria) and Longford (Tasmania) may also be affected.

"It's us now trying to play catch-up to find out what the processes are and who they've laid off, who they've relocated onto day shift or found work for in other parts of the factory,” Victorian secretary Paul Conway told the ABC.

"We've kind of got the news late, and haven't been able to sit down and work through any of that stuff. It's happened fairly quickly."

 

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