ONE of the country's biggest meat processors has renewed calls for help from the federal government to fill vacant positions at its sites across the country, including Tamworth.
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Teys Australia is calling for government assistance, as it believes it is having trouble filling positions because more people would prefer to take advantage of the government's JobKeeper scheme.
Teys corporate and industry affairs manager John Langbridge said recent easing of COVID-19 border restrictions had helped combat the labour shortage, but more needed to be done.
"At this point in time, nothing has really changed and we are still needing support from the government to fill vacant positions despite restrictions being eased," Mr Langbridge told the Leader.
"While the easing of state border restrictions has been good for the locals, we are still having trouble recruiting workers for the vacant positions."
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The company took its plight public last month, in the hope it would encourage more workers to fill the void at its six sites across Australia.
"Initially we did get more applicants but we are still short of workers at all of our plants," Mr Langbridge said.
"There are many pathways for advancement in this industry and we also offer training programs that can upskill workers into better paying jobs."
New England MP Barnaby Joyce said Teys' issues were proof the JobKeeper scheme needed to be altered before it comes to a close in March.
"I think now there are businesses looking for employees and therefore we have to amend JobKeeper because there's no point keeping people in a position where there's work out there but they won't take it," Mr Joyce said.
"If you don't have a job, you should take what's on offer and not what you may want to do because that's what's available.
"On the other hand, businesses like travel agents, which are doing it exceptionally tough, need the help to ensure they're still around when things get moving again.
"In turn, those sorts of sectors still doing it tough should have support increased, while those that aren't as badly off should have their support wound down."
Mr Joyce said he believed the easing of border restrictions would help businesses attract new employees.
"Based on those methods and if there's no disease in Roma or Tamworth, there should be no problems for people to go between the two places for a cattle sale for example," he said.
"I think it needs to be run at a national level based on epidemiology of where the disease is and where it is not.
"The dealing of the pandemic should be done at a national level because it is a national issue."