More footwear jobs lost

Press, 17 May 1986, Page 2

More footwear jobs lost

Canterbury footwear workers will be dealt another blow on Friday, when the Kaiapoi branch of Suckling Bros, Ltd, closes, taking 30 jobs with it. The Canterbury branch of the Footwear Workers’ Union and Suckling Brothers negotiated redundancy terms this week. Some workers accepted voluntary redundancy, some were absorbed into the Christchurch factory, and some have found jobs with other companies. “We hope this will be the end of job losses for our workers for a long while, but we can never be sure,” said the national secretary of the Footwear Workers’ Union, Mr Toby Jordan. Along with the closing of the Kaiapoi factory, Sucklings will implement a series of changes including redesigning parts of the plant within the present site, and some management restructur-

ing. “Current economic conditions affecting the footwear industry are behind the closing, and we can see no improvement in the near future,” said Sucklings’ general manager, Mr Doug Purchase. The Footwear Workers’ Union also expressed concern that Sucklings was the only one of two footwear factories left in New Zealand making shoes using the "welted” method. This involves attaching the sole to the upper of the shoe by stitching a piece of leather round the edge. Mr Jordan said that this was a highly skilled job. About 100 workers at Sucklings were trained in this method and it would be difficult for them to change. Mr Jordan said he was also concerned that Brierley Investments, Ltd, was connected with all three Christchurch footwear factory closings.