Kick in the guts: Dumped Gympie factory worker speaks out

Retrenched Gympie employee says number of jobs Laminex saved not so accurate

A Gympie man said the number of jobs saved when Laminex took over Carter Holt Harvey was not entirely accurate. (File phtoto). Picture: Contributed

A FORMER Carter Holt Harvey employee has thrown light on the struggle he faced after being made redundant from the Gympie timber processing plant four months ago.

The former factory floor worker (who wishes to remain anonymous) said he was one of dozens of staff retrenched when the Carter Holt Harvey factory was saved through a deal struck between the State Government, Laminex Australia and Corbet's.

MORE ON THIS STORY: 42 Gympie jobs saved as major factory reopens

Carter Holt Harvey. Picture: Troy Jegers

An agreement between the State Government and Laminex Australia through the $150 million Jobs and Regional Growth Fund led to the almost seamless reopening of the plant within weeks of its closure.

It ensured 42 jobs were saved at the Monkland plant.

But the former Carter Holt Harvey employee, who had been with the company 11 years, said the job loss had been high, and the restructure meant new employees replaced experienced workers.

"What was said about saving all the jobs just didn't happen - about 30 (people) lost their jobs,” he said.

The man said employees were given two to three weeks notice about the redundancies, which began on April 12.

Workers onsite at the Carter Holt Harvey factory. Picture: Troy Jegers

READ CATER HOLT HARVEY STRUGGLE: Major Gympie factory likely to close; 60 jobs could go

"We all knew long before that that it was either closing or someone was going to buy it,” he said.

"(But we were) kept in the dark. No one knew what was going on right until the very end. Have we got jobs? Is it closing? Is someone buying it? No one knew. The day it happened Laminex came in with Carter Holt Harvey - that's the day they said: 'You go that way - you go that way'.

"(It was) a kick in the guts.”

MORE: Laminex head honchos visit their newest Gympie plant

The former employee said he spent a stressful four months looking for work, including applying for new positions advertised at the Laminex plant, but was rejected.

Last week he managed to secure work in a different field.

"There's a lot of people out there looking for work I guess - there's not a lot in Gympie at all.”

A comment was sought from Laminex Queensland manufacturing manager but no response had been received at the time of publishing.