Clutha's biggest employer is joining forces with job agencies to try to find work for its staff, who face up to five months with no regular pay cheque during their off-season.
Silver Fern Farms (SFF), which runs the Finegand freezing works near Balclutha, hopes the new season employment opportunities scheme will help find work for more than 200 staff who struggle to find alternative jobs between killing seasons, which typically finish by July and do not start again until about November.
Enterprise Clutha and the Clutha District Council's district development board plan to help SFF offer Clutha businesses the chance to hire skilled workers during that five-month hiatus.
The concept is still in its early days.
SFF management was coy about discussing the idea publicly, but details were released in Enterprise Clutha's latest monthly newsletter.
The meat company will assess the skills of individual staff and provide potential employers with a summary of their employment record at Finegand, and any recommendations from management.
The newsletter said Finegand would give prospective employers a pre-screened choice of applicants, and work with them to ensure a suitable candidate is picked.
Enterprise Clutha and the board recently toured the plant, which has had a $20 million upgrade.
At its peak, more than 1000 work there.
Enterprise Clutha chairman Stephen Kornyei said that visit highlighted how significant Finegand was in the Clutha landscape, and anything that helped preserve the jobs of staff was to be welcomed.
"The more staff we can keep in the district during the off-season, the better," he said when contacted yesterday.
The meat company is specifically targeting the agricultural sector, but would also make an effort to link staff with other areas if possible.
Any employers wanting to learn more about the scheme are asked to contact SFF Finegand industrial/personnel manager Jason Little on (03) 419 0640.
