Work may dwindle for McCain casuals

CASUAL workers at McCain Foods Wendouree plant will need to check with the company daily regarding shifts through to March, according to a union organiser.The AMWU's Angela McCarthy, who has responsibility for workers at the Ballarat food company, said McCain was stopping production of one food line and restricting a second to day shift."My understanding is that for some casuals there will be no work until the end of March," Ms McCarthy said."I did speak to the HR manager on Friday and he said casuals would need to check on a daily basis."I find it obscene that if the company already knows that workers will not be needed it is making them check-in on a daily basis."Ms McCarthy said the company had blamed the global credit crisis for the changed work conditions."But I don't know if that stops people buying frozen food," she said.Ms McCarthy said the company had an "adversarial relationship" with the union and that her information had mainly come from union delegates and not from the company directly.McCain Foods at Wendouree has a policy of not speaking to the media and referred The Courier to a public relations company in Sydney.