Dairy Workers’ Union still concerned over Kraft

Press, 9 February 1982, Page 20

Dairy Workers’ Union still concerned over Kraft

PA . Hamilton The Dairy Workers' Union is still concerned about the long-term consequences of the huge Kraft Corporation entering the New Zealand dairy industry, said the union’s national secretary, Mr Rob McMillan, yesterday..

Mr McMillan and other union representatives met Rutland Industries, Ltd, management on Thursday to discuss Rutland’s decision last year to sell 49 per cent of its shareholding to Kraft. The move also gives Kraft entry into Dairy Industries, Ltd. a company equally owned by the Dairy Board and Rutland.

By buying bulk cheese from the Dairy Board, pro-

cessing it into sliced and other cheese products and marketing it overseas, the new venture appeared a “reasonable” idea to the union in the short term, Mr McMillan said.

“But in the longer term is it going to be a case of the multi-national Kraft Corporation winning more shares and becoming a monopoly outfit? “The Rutland people and the Dairy Board have assured us that our traditional markets for bulk Cheddar are

quite separate. “Kraft. I think will be looking at marketing cheese in the Middle East, an area we have not got into.” If Kraft’s demand for '

cheese from the Dairy Board increased, it could want a bigger share of Butland, Mr McMillan said. The union would also be interested to know how much of Kraft’s profits would stay

within New Zealand. The Food Processing Union would be approached to discuss union coverage of the Butland workers in Auckland. The Food Processing Union had coverage of the workers at present, as many of the staff duties have been

interchangeable from cheese to other foods, but the dairy workers’ union hoped to gain some coverage now cheese production was expanding, he said.