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SIPTU Deputy Assistant Secretary General Gerry McCormack said there had been “problems” since the start of the Covid-19 crisis at meat processing plants.
Speaking to RTÉ in Morning Ireland, he said that what appears to have happened is that some employers “completely ignored” the recommendations of the Health Service Executive regarding physical distancing and did not take adequate measures to protect workers.
He said the meat processing plants received HSE guidelines, but some did not implement protocols and it is “questionable” whether some should have been opened.
SIPTU is calling for urgent steps to be taken to address clusters of Covid-19 infections in meat plants.
McCormack said the meat industry is essential, not only to provide food here, but to other countries as well.
He compared the current situation in the meat industry to the dairy industry, where he said there is little to no Covid-19 outbreak.
“It is well paid and well regulated compared to the meat industry,” he said.
He also recognized that the high number of migrant workers working in meat factories here, who may be living in close quarters with other workers, could have resulted in some groups of Covid-19 infections.
Agriculture Minister Michael Creed will appear before the Dáil next week to face questions about the increase in cases.
Several TDs raised the issue yesterday after RTÉ News revealed that 60 other cases had been confirmed at a meat plant in Edenderry, Co Offaly.
According to the authorities, more than 600 workers in meat processing plants have contracted the virus.
Read more:
Almost 60 Covid-19 cases at the Edenderry meat plant
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The meat industry said it has been proactive and has made substantial efforts to try to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
Independent TD Denis Naughten has said that many people working in the meat processing sector are afraid to speak up about concerns about Covid-19’s safety and hygiene measures at meat production plants.
Naughten, a TD from Roscommon and Galway, said many workers from non-national communities had directly voiced their concerns, and pointed this out to authorities.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Today with Sarah McInerney, she said there is a lack of communication about when the virus was identified in some meat plants and when action was taken.
He said he had been informed that in some facilities there was a six-week delay between reporting a confirmed case and monitoring the workforce at that plant.
These workers then continued to work the next day for another week before obtaining the test results.
He said that the management of evidence and delays in monitoring contracts in some cases where there have been outbreaks of the virus should be thoroughly investigated.
He also said a clarification is needed from the Department of Agriculture on the comments they have received from inspections of infection sites on what steps are being taken to minimize infection.
Naughten said that there are large discrepancies between some production plants where there are more than 50% of infected personnel and in others where there are very few cases.
Speaking about the same program, the director of the Irish Migrant Rights Center, Edel McGinley, said she is very concerned and concerned about the plant outbreaks.
He suggested that the measures were not implemented quickly enough to protect against the virus, saying that workers do not feel safe. She said they have been contacted by many meat plant workers who are “scared and angry”, and are not sure how they are being protected.
“It is not obvious what is happening in these workplaces and whether the situation is being handled in a coordinated manner,” he said.
She said pay is also an issue, as there are no adequate sick pay schemes, making it difficult for workers when they get sick and apply for social assistance. She said it also raises the question of whether some people will return to work too soon.
Ms. McGinley said she supports the suggestion that where there are Covid-19 outbreaks in meat processing plants to close and reopen when it is safe to do so.
She said it is very difficult for workers with a lack of information and what their rights might be. “The onus is on employers to help people in these situations apply for sick pay at a lower rate,” he said.
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