Jobs on the line at Kiwi tobacco factory

The union representing workers at Imperial Tobacco NZ says it is working with the company but will not comment until a final decision has been made next month.

The company has announced plans to close its factory in Lower Hutt, which would axe 122 jobs.

E tu¯ , which represents 82 workers at the plant, said the company was consulting with workers and a final decision would be made on February 13.

‘‘We are meeting with our members to guide them through the process and working with the company to ensure our people are well looked after,’’ organiser Damon Rongotaua said.

Lower Hutt Mayor Campbell Barry said the proposal would be devastating for the affected Petone workers. ‘‘They are people who have bills to pay and it is not a good time for them.’’

He was confident many of the workers would be able to find jobs nearby and remain in Lower Hutt.

Barry said the Hutt City Council had not been forewarned of the proposed closure and it was seeking more information about the situation.

Imperial Tobacco said the move had followed a global review by its parent company, Imperial Brands, of all its factory footprints.

However, the company was also moving towards ‘‘smokefree’’ products such as e-cigarettes.

Imperial’s products – which include JPS, Riverstone and Horizon – would remain on the market but be imported from overseas.

Kirsten Daggar-Nickson, a spokeswoman for Imperial Brands, said the proposed closure reflected the global decline in demand for tobacco products.

Daggar-Nickson said that if the Petone plant were to close, production would be taken up by the company’s factory in Taiwan.