From Monday a majority of the factory’s 300-strong casual workforce would be put off while most trainee positions would be retained, Mr Fletcher said.

“What we put up on the eighth of December has sensibly gone through,” he said.

“By the end of the day I’d say we’ll keep all (traineeship) positions.

“We see this as the best way to keep the plant together.

“The majority of workers wanted to go down this track, naturally you can’t please everybody.”

Workers at Fletcher International Exports have been working eight-hour shifts, on alternate weeks, since the beginning of the year. The new arrangement will see employees working four days on, three days off, however the plant will operate five days a week. The move is a step closer to reinstating two shifts per day, which Mr Fletcher said the company had always nearly operated under.

“Understand we have gone 18 years with only one other hiccup in 2003 when we had an autumn drought... other than that we’ve always had two shifts,” he said.

“We will be going back to two shifts as quick as we can.”

Mr Fletcher couldn’t say when the company would reinstate two shifts, saying it depended on the industry, his competitors and the market.

“People are tying to restock (sheep) we can’t be killing them,” he said.

Mr Fletcher has maintained the drought and subsequent decline in sheep numbers were the reasons for axing up to 300 casual staff.

However Mr Fletcher said there were some “very healthy” signs that the industry is picking up.