It will soon be the end of the line for workers at a fruit packing house in Kelowna’s North End.
The Okanagan Tree Fruit Co-op, which owns and operates four packing plants in the valley, has announced it is closing two of them: one in Kelowna and another in Osoyoos.
Heavy overhead costs, food safety costs and property taxes are being blamed for the closures.
The Co-op will consolidate operations into the two remaining plants in Oliver and Lake Country as a cost-effective measure.
While the plants currently have five day operations, they may switch to seven day operations at the two facilities.
The B.C. Fruit Growers Association supports the decision, saying the closures will actually benefit the industry as a whole.
But many of the affected workers, some of whom have more than 30 years on the job, are expressing shock.
Workers in the union and who have seniority will be offered jobs at the other facilities.
People with low seniority and new hires may not be as lucky.
About 100 people work in the Kelowna packing house while approximately 50 work at the facility in Osoyoos.
The closures are slated for 2014, but the Co-op board admits it may shut the packing plants sooner.
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