The Tamworth area is “in the grip of a youth unemployment crisis”, a union has said as it calls for meatworks to give local young people a chance at employment.
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In the city recently to canvass interest in potential jobs at Teys, Baiada Poultry or Thomas Foods, the Australasian Meat Industry Employees’ Union (AMIEU) found 106 people willing to work.
“These kids all told us the same thing – they wanted to work, they were ready to work, but companies prefer to employ backpackers and other temporary migrant workers, rather than helping local kids,” Newcastle and northern NSW branch secretary Grant Courtney said.
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He said that the area’s teens and young adults had double the national average rate of unemployment.
The union wanted them offered “preference of employment as a way of helping to ease this crisis and build a long-term sustainable future for the region”.
The AMIEU’s visit to Tamworth last week was prompted by the news that Thomas Foods International (TFI) had plans to redeploy up to 100 workers on 457 visas to the city after a fire in its Murray Bridge facility.
Mr Courtney said it had taken four people only about 70 minutes each to secure the names and phone numbers of more than 100 youths wanting jobs with the local processors.
“We ended up with 106 people and stopped there, because we’d proven the point,” Mr Courtney said.
Companies react
Country Leader contacted the three processors; Teys did not return our call before deadline.
TFI said in a statement it “would encourage anyone keen and serious about looking to start a career in the meat industry to contact the company direct on (02) 6764 9900”.
“The fact is that TFI has, and will continue to, recruit and train locals at our Tamworth meat processing facility,” it said.
Mr Courtney singled out Baiada Poultry for praise for its response to the union petition.
He chief executive Simon Camilleri had this week “expressed interest in giving these local kids an induction into their meat processing operations in Tamworth, following contact by the AMIEU”.
“We congratulate Baiada on taking this initiative and will be working closely with them to transition as many of these youth as possible into stable, long-term employment,” he said.
Baiada said in a statement: “We take great pride in being one of the largest employers of the local community in Tamworth. We will be very pleased to receive a list of potential job candidates from the AMIEU and will contact them as relevant positions become available.”