Woolworths New Zealand no longer has butchers in any of its South Island supermarkets, after moving its meat preparation there to a centralised model, the NZ Herald reports.
A company spokesperson said recruiting butchers in the South Island had been difficult for several years and that the change would bring consistent quality and longer shelf life. The chain did not say how many staff were affected, whether they had been redeployed or made redundant, or where the meat would now be processed. Its North Island stores already rely on central processing.
When a trial of pre-packed meat was reported in April, an official from the Workers First Union said butchers were leaving because they expected restructuring. The change comes as National promises, if re-elected, to pursue splitting rival grocer Foodstuffs into two chains.
Source: NZ Herald
