A NUMBER of Leeton jobs will be moved outside of town to Griffith, but Murrumbidgee Irrigation has refused to disclose just how many staff will be affected.
However, the company has stated it won’t be closing its Leeton office when addressing rumours stating this was the case.
MI said the changes were due to numerous projects happening outside of Leeton.
Chief executive officer Brett Jones confirmed there were changes in the works. “We are not closing our Leeton office,” he said.
“While we will continue to have customer service and operational staff in Leeton to support our customers, our project teams will move locations as the needs of our modernisation projects change.”
The company is currently modernising its irrigation network.
Upgrade work is now happening in the Benerembah, Wah Wah and Tabbita areas.
The changes to the Leeton office will also see the consolidation of key planning and engineering staff to the main office at Hanwood.
Leeton Shire Council mayor Paul Maytom said he would be seeking further clarification on how many staff would be affected.
He said he understood businesses needed to do what was best for them, but hoped it wouldn’t mean residents and their families would have to leave Leeton as a result. “Given Yanco and Leeton were the birthplace of irrigation, we don’t want to see any downgrades from MI,” Cr Maytom said.
“We certainly understand they have to do what is best, but we will be seeking further clarification on this. We are happy to work with MI as a council to see what we can do as a council.
“We don’t want people leaving our town if their work arrangements are changing.” Mr Jones said staff were MI’s key resource. “Having our planning team and engineers together in one site will better support the business and our customers,” he said.
