Edith Creek tetra operator and National Union of Workers representative Julie Coad met with Murray Goulburn chief executive Ari Mervis, union staff and Victorian Agriculture and Regional Development minister Jaala Pulford in Melbourne on Friday.

The union’s Victorian state secretary Gary Maas said Murray Goulburn would make a decision around selling the three sites with shareholder’s best interests in mind.

“Murray Goulburn confirmed they would not be mothballing the sites,” Mr Maas said.

“What that means now is we will be working out how we can best move those sales along so the communities don’t disband in the meantime,” he said.

Ms Pulford was pushing Murray Goulburn for a specific time for the selling process, Mr Maas said.

“I’m sure that would be the same for the state government in Tasmania,” he said.

The Edith Creek worker’s enterprise bargaining agreements, which expire in September, were also discussed.

“They said they didn’t have any more money to increase [Edith Creek] redundancies,” Mr Maas said.

Union representatives put forward a case for keeping the three sites open and asked for a longer time before closure.

They also discussed redeployment options for staff, including relocation for Tasmanian workers, and government support for the communities, Mr Maas said.