FORMER workers of the South Grafton abattoir took advantage of an information session hosted by Centrelink at the Grafton Community Centre yesterday as they explored future employment opportunities and support payment eligibility.
Representatives from Medicare, Nortec employment and training, Family and Child Support, Chess employment and legal aid services spoke to displaced employees to offer career advice and share application networks with the main focus on retrenchments.
A former abattoir worker who attended yesterday's information session said the closure of the Grafton Meatworks had put additional financial pressure on his family in the lead-up to Christmas. The man, who did not wish to be named, said the infor- mation session was a last resort to acquiring financial stability and assisting him with future employment.
"I think a lot of blokes are in the same position but unfortunately there isn't a great deal of jobs on offer around here (Grafton) at the moment," he said. More than 200 employees lost their jobs when the Ramsay Group of Companies announced the closure of the South Grafton abattoir.