The Meat Workers Union this week revealed Teys Australia and Thomas Foods had applied to bring 220 meat processing workers into Tamworth on 457 visas, a visa category reserved for employers that cannot fill roles with Australian workers.

The union claimed the companies were ignoring willing and able local workers in favour of foreigners.

But Thomas Foods’ director Gary Burridge yesterday labelled the accusations “abhorrent and unfounded”, saying the company was proud of its loyalty to its employees.

“Thomas Foods emphatically rejects many of the claims made by the AMIEU which have no basis of fact or substance,” Mr Burridge said.

“Thomas Foods International prides itself on being an Australian-owned family company. We do not discriminate against any individual and we vehemently object to Mr Courtney’s abhorrent and unfounded allegations that we are in any way discriminatory to Australians.”

He said the company was an equal opportunity employer that operated under strict anti-discrimination laws.

The company invested heavily in staff training, he said.

“Thomas Foods derive a great deal of satisfaction in bringing our employees up to this level,” Mr Burridge said.

With the abattoir set to expand, Mr Burridge said the company would exhaust all local employment options before hiring 457 visa holders.

“We will require a number of these employees to be highly skilled employees and if, as in the past, these employees are not able to be sourced either locally or Australia wide and willing to  move to the local area, we will be obliged to access them through the 457 program,” he said. 

“Any shortfall in highly skilled workers puts at risk the employment of everyone at Thomas Foods Tamworth.”

He also branded the Meat Workers Union hypocritical for criticising meat processors over 457s while hiring a number of 457 visa holders itself.