Workers made redundant at the Alliance Group's Pukeuri freezing works have been granted a base payment from the company, but are still struggling financially after almost a month without work.
A total of 240 seasonal workers were sent home on August 8 after the plant's export licence to China was suspended, and they have no idea if or when they will resume work.
Under the terms of its collective agreement with the New Zealand Meat Workers and Related Trades Union, Alliance Group is understood to be required to pay a minimum weekly provision to stood-down workers of $525 gross, unless it terminated their employment.
Although that agreement only applied when workers were actively engaged in work at the plant, the union's Otago-Southland Dunedin branch president Daryl Carran said Alliance had agreed to help at least some of the lowest-paid workers.
''The plant itself put forward a basic request through quite a compelling letter [to the Alliance Group] for a minimum payment for at least the last week, which the company have agreed to and paid.
''Outside of that there has been nothing further, so there is no further minimum pay as a result of those workers being terminated, until such time as they are recalled.''
Mr Carran said not all meat workers would have received the payment if they earned more than the minimum for that week.
Previously, union officials have been unable to say how the weekly provision compared with what staff would have earned working, because wage rates varied dramatically, but have said it was very much less.
Those who did not qualify for the payment would have to get by on the $230.40 a week Jobseeker Support payment from New Zealand Work and Income. Mr Carran said seasonal workers were always in a tough position when such situations arose: ''It's pretty clinical and it's pretty cold, but it's probably the nature of the beast unfortunately. We all know that workers are struggling financially and are most unhappy.''
Alliance Group processing general manager Kerry Stevens said the plant had passed a Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) audit and was waiting for confirmation from MPI that certification had been restored.
''Alliance Group is eager to resume processing at Pukeuri as soon as possible. We are aware of speculation about the Pukeuri plant; however our first priority is to ensure our employees can return to work at the earliest opportunity.''
The Ministry of Primary Industries revoked the plant's export licence twice in July.
Chinese authorities are yet to lift a suspension on products from the Pukeuri works.
Labour Party economic development spokesman Dr David Clark yesterday called for Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy to ensure ''appropriate'' monitoring of meat factories to ensure the issue could not be repeated.
''Workers at the Alliance Group's freezing works near Oamaru have already lost more than five weeks' wages after the MPI revoked its exports licence following a by-product contamination and a labelling mistake.
''Nathan Guy and his ministry need to ensure Pukeuri and all other meat plants are appropriately monitored so that exports are maintained and jobs are protected,'' Dr Clark said.
