THE Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU) is calling for the state and federal governments to put together a rescue package to boost employment opportunities in the region.
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The AMWU NSW secretary Tim Ayres has written to Premier Barry O’Farrell and Prime Minister Tony Abbott urging them to address the loss of almost 1000 jobs in the region, including 540 at the Electrolux factory in Orange.
Mr Ayres said the losses at Electrolux and Simplot and Downer EDI in Bathurst had immense economic and social implications for the region.
“In many cases there is more than one family member affected at these sites,” Mr Ayres said.
“There will also be many hundreds of indirect jobs lost as a result of these closures.
“The threat is now very real that there will be a flight of employment and investment from the central west that will inevitably mean more job losses and more social dislocation.
“There is a jobs crisis in the central west that our governments must act on.”
In the letter Mr Ayres asked Mr Abbott and Mr O’Farrell to contact union representatives to discuss how a regional assistance package might assist local families affected by the “devastating announcements” of the past week.
The AMWU is calling on both levels of governments to:
l Extend the productive life of the Electrolux plant beyond 2016.
l Identify other potential users/investors to occupy the facility in the event that the plant does close.
lDevelop a jobs plan capable of delivering investment in manufacturing in the region.
l Deliver training to affected employees to ensure they are job ready.
