Way out for Gelita staff after f ire

A global gelatine producer has offered some Christchurch staff a way out as it waits for an insurance payout on its fireravaged factory.

Large parts of the Gelita factory, in an industrial area of Woolston, burned down in a fire caused by a chemical leak in early January.

Local management remain positive, but the German company has yet to make a decision on whether to rebuild the more-than 100-year-old plant.

About 60 people worked at the factory when the fire happened.

Gelita Australia/New Zealand general manager Tony Wise said some staff had since accepted an offer of voluntary redundancy.

He would not say how many, but did say about 50 staff remained working on the packing, technical and speciality plants that were still operating at the site. ‘‘We offered some voluntary redundancies and some of those were accepted. It’s all part of the normal process.’’

Wise described the offer as logical given the anticipated shortfall of work – if a decision was made to rebuild the factory, it would take between 12 and 18 months to restore the main processing line.

While he remained positive, Wise said any decision depended on Gelita’s head office and would not be made until the insurance process was complete.

‘‘I’m positive, absolutely. Very focused on that process, and positive for the outcome.’’

The company’s claim was accepted in early February. The process was expected to be finalised mid-year, about six months on from the fire. ‘‘We’re in the middle of the costing of the damage, and that’s all I can say,’’ Wise said, adding staff were being given weekly updates.

Gelita was the only producer of gelatine in New Zealand.