More jobs for the cut on West Coast
Up to 50 roading contractor jobs on the West Coast may be cut in the latest economic blow to the region.
Canterbury-based roading contractor Sicon Ferguson has announced it may close its West Coast branches after missing out on a seven-year contract to Fulton Hogan.
It employs about 50 staff out of its Greymouth and Whataroa offices.
Chief executive David Wilson was unavailable for comment on Friday, but told The Greymouth Star that the company was proposing to close the branches.
Grey District Mayor Tony Kokshoorn said news of the possible cuts had ‘‘come out of left field’’.
‘‘No-one knew that Fulton Hogan was going to get the highways contract.’’
Kokshoorn said there had been one piece of positive news following the shock proposal: Fulton Hogan announced it would partner with several locally-based contractors, including Westroads and Buller’s WestReef, to fulfil
No-one knew that Fulton Hogan was going to get the highways contract. Tony Kokshoorn Grey District mayor
the roading contract.
The $89.9 million contract, which is being negotiated with Fulton Hogan, is part of NZ Transport Agency’s(NZTA) new maintenance system. Rather than a number of smaller contracts, the single deal will cover the area from Mokihinui, north of Westport, to the Haast Pass and the inland Arthur’s and Lewis passes.
Kokshoorn said the partnership with local contractors would likely mean they could employ a few extra people, which would take the sting out of Sicon Ferguson’s cuts.
Sicon had also withdrawn from a subcontracting role on a $22m realign- ment of State Highway 73 near Arthur’s Pass.
The announcement follows a string of job losses on the West Coast.
Solid Energy has confirmed it will cull another 151 jobs from its Stockton coalmine and six jobs at the mothballed Spring Creek mine. It followed a restructure last year where 184 jobs were lost at Stockton.
Westport will be further affected when Holcim closes its cement plant next year with 120 jobs to go. Reefton is also set to lose more jobs when OceanaGold mothballs its opencast goldmine.
It had already shed 50 jobs.