150 jobs Huyck to shut factory

Alex de Vos and Andrew Mathieson
About 150 workers will lose their jobs when Huyck Australia closes its Geelong factory at the end of March.
Huyck confirmed the job losses yesterday three weeks before Christmas after staff discovered the plan to close the factory on the parent company’s American website.
Huyck Australia’s Paul Brown said the job cuts were part of an Australian-and-Asia-wide “review of its production operations”.
“The parent company (Xerium Technologies) has announced a number of changes at Geelong and Asian sites, including a change in production capacity,” Mr Brown said.
The company would continue operating sales and administration departments at the Breakwater site.
“We’re phasing out production but I want to make it clear (Huyck Australia) will continue to operate in Geelong and serve our Australian clients,” Mr Brown said.
“All employees who will lose their jobs as a result of today’s decision have been advised they will be paid award entitlements in full.”
Mr Brown said the company would provide “placement positions” and a “stay bonus” to keep working until the factory closed.
“The stay bonus is a fixed amount of money the employees will receive if they can work productively to the end date,” he said.
Textiles Clothing and Footwear Union national and state secretary Michele O’Neil slammed the company’s lack of consultation with staff.
“We, as a union, and the workers at the site have been concerned for months that the company was planning to close,” she said.
“Despite all our efforts to get the company to confirm their intentions they refused as late as last week. The workers have been trying for more than six months to finalise an agreement and to get clear answers about their future.”
Ms O’Neil described staff finding the closure plan on the Xerium Technologies website as “extraordinarily insulting”.