Ice-cream jobs move to Chch

Press, 25 February 1987, Page 2

Ice-cream jobs move to Chch

All South Island production by the Tip-Top IceCream Company will be transferred to the company’s Christchurch plant. The Tip-Top Dunedin

plant would close on April 21 and production be moved to Christchurch, a modem plant running under capacity, said the company’s general manager, Mr Mark Cowsill, yesterday. • Increased volume production would create new jobs. The exact number involved was not known at this stage but would depend on market conditions.

The 18 Dunedin staff were told of the decision at a meeting yesterday. “We regret the need for the closing but increasing pressure to meet free market conditions and

consumer requirements for better and more sophisticated products leaves us no viable alternative,” Mr Cowsill said.

The company wodld begin negotiations on redundancy with the appropriate unions as soon as possible. Tip-Top also needed to install additional equipment to satisfy changing consumer wants “the cost of which could not be justified on the basis of the relatively small static Dunedin volumes.” Some of the trade stock requirements for Otago and Southland region were already supplied from Christchurch. The move meant that all South Island requirements would be serviced from one plant, Mr Cowsill said.