Meat factory staff 'going into work sick' as they fear being hurled into poverty
EXCLUSIVE: Union reps have claimed some meat packing workers do not want to be tested for coronavirus - because they fear falling back onto £95-a-week sick pay
CLOSE ALL MEATPACKERS GLOBALLY
PAY ALL WORKERS A LIVING WAGE WITH UNIVERSAL BASIC INCOME WHILE THE PLANT IS CLOSED FOR A MONTH!
Chickens before being slaughtered for food (stock photo)
Meat packing workers are going in sick and even failing to get coronavirus tests because they fear isolation will hurl them into poverty, union reps claim.
Officials raised the alarm after a string of food processing plants were hit by outbreaks of deadly Covid-19.
By June 25, four food factories had reported more than 450 workers between them testing positive with the virus.
But unions fear the full total across England and Wales could be far higher.
In a meeting between unions and Labour, attended by the Mirror, reps said some low-wage food workers cannot afford to isolate on £95.85-a-week Statutory Sick Pay.
People "simply cannot afford to have the time off" (stock photo) (Image: Getty Images)
Unite regional officer Brian Troake said “people simply cannot afford to have the time off”.
Meat packing workers are going in sick and even failing to get coronavirus tests because they fear isolation will hurl them into poverty, union reps claim.
Officials raised the alarm after a string of food processing plants were hit by outbreaks of deadly Covid-19.
By June 25, four food factories had reported more than 450 workers between them testing positive with the virus.
But unions fear the full total across England and Wales could be far higher.
In a meeting between unions and Labour, attended by the Mirror, reps said some low-wage food workers cannot afford to isolate on £95.85-a-week Statutory Sick Pay.
People "simply cannot afford to have the time off" (stock photo) (Image: Getty Images)Unite regional officer Brian Troake said “people simply cannot afford to have the time off”.
He claimed some workers do not want to be tested “because when they’re tested, they can’t earn any money.”
He added: “We’ve got thermal CCTV cameras now on the entrance to the sites.
“And even when the alarms are going off, you’ve got a manager stood there saying ‘don’t worry about that, keep on going.’ They need you in the factory. Because they need to make the numbers.”
Asked if he had heard of similar cases, Eamon O'Hearn, National Officer at GMB, said a survey of the union’s food and drink members found 70% could not afford to stay away from work.
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He added the “response rate fell through the floor” when the same people were then asked if they’d keep going to work, even if they had symptoms.
The British Meat Processors Association has disputed Unite’s claims that workers are exploited or on precarious contracts.
The industry body insisted its members pay a “fair wage” and branded Unite’s claims ”false and misleading”, adding there have been 10 outbreaks in food plants so far.
It comes after the government's own scientific advisors called for extra financial support for people forced to go into 14 days' coronavirus isolation.
People who develop symptoms, or have contact with a confirmed case, are told to isolate for 14 days. They can receive Statutory Sick Pay - but any further payments are up to their employer.
Chief Scientific Advisor Patrick Vallance has highlighted the cold, noisy environment factories as a risk for food factory workers. Environment Secretary George Eustice suggested canteens or car-sharing could be to blame.
But Unite accused ministers of ignoring the financial element.
The union said they were alerted to one possible factory outbreak by bus drivers, who rang the union worried about the state of people they were taking to factory gates.
Unite national officer Bev Clarkson said many workers who live in crowded shared houses due to low wages could not afford to fall back onto Statutory Sick Pay.
She said: "It’s appalling. These workers are living a nightmare at the moment. They don’t know what’s the right thing to do.
"Stay at home and starve, or go to work and risk contracting the disease, then passing it on to their family?
“They’ve no choice whatsoever. I think in this day and age it’s absolutely disgusting we’ve got workers living and working in these conditions.”
The unions raised their fears in a meeting with Shadow Environment Secretary Luke Pollard.
One union, UNISON, wrote to the Health and Safety Executive on Friday to demand the Food Standards Agency carry out “thorough” individual visits to meat factories.
The union called for the HSE to launch an urgent investigation into the FSA, claiming it has used a “generic” risk assessment that “covers hundreds of workplaces”.
National Officer Paul Bell told the meeting some meat plants were a “Wild West situation”, adding: “Everyone’s on top of each other.
“When you enter and leave these plants, everybody goes through the same entrance or exit. They are very secure places… and everyone is grouped together.”
In his formal complaint to the HSE, he wrote: “UNISON expects the FSA to protect its workforce and contractors.
“We believe the duty of care has not [been] met nor satisfied under the Health & Safety at Work Regulations Act 1974.
“The generic risk assessment written by the FSA does not adequately cover the risk and the FSA has so far refused to provide the risk assessments from local FSA managers.
“UNISON would faithfully request that the Health & Safety Executive urgently investigate the FSA for potential breaches to The Act in order that our members are protected as the key workers necessary for the food supplies of the country.”
The Food Standards Agency hit back, saying the HSE had decided to take no action.
An FSA spokeswoman said: ”It is incorrect to say that the FSA applied a generic risk assessment to hundreds of food business operator sites where its inspectors and veterinarians work.
"The FSA developed a generic methodology which was then applied on a site-by-site basis."
"We welcomed the opportunity to explain this approach to the HSE and we will continue to keep each work location under review."
During the meeting, reps agreed low temperatures and loud volume make meat packers more at risk of catching Covid-19.
But Ms Clarkson accused the government of “burying their heads in the sand” for blaming car-sharing and canteens.
“A lot of the meat companies have dealt with the canteens”, she said. “They’ve put in booths for people to sit and have their lunch - but they only spend 5% of their working day in a canteen.”
She added some workers are agency staff who work in multiple plants, risking cross-contamination.
Mr Troake said workers are “literally shoulder-to-shoulder” in some plants despite social distancing improvements.
Mr O’Hearn added: “What we’ve seen is basically business as usual, some modifications - sometimes curtains or screens - but nothing that is particularly suitable.
“Because a lot of the infrastructure is very old and the ability to expand and move is very limited.”
The British Meat Processors Association said claims workers face "widespread exploitation" were "false and misleading".
BMPA Chief Executive Nick Allen said: “Far from offering insecure or zero-hours contracts... our members seek to hold on to their staff by offering them stable, permanent employment and a fair wage.
"Indeed, most overseas workers typically stay for two years or more”.
A BMPA spokeswoman said one Unite survey covered only 150 people, who all worked at one plant with an outbreak.
The BMPA said last week that "only 10 out of 1079 UK meat plants (less than 1%) have experienced instances of Covid-19 over what’s already prevalent in the wider community."
He added: “We’ve got thermal CCTV cameras now on the entrance to the sites.
“And even when the alarms are going off, you’ve got a manager stood there saying ‘don’t worry about that, keep on going.’ They need you in the factory. Because they need to make the numbers.”
Asked if he had heard of similar cases, Eamon O'Hearn, National Officer at GMB, said a survey of the union’s food and drink members found 70% could not afford to stay away from work.
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He added the “response rate fell through the floor” when the same people were then asked if they’d keep going to work, even if they had symptoms.
The British Meat Processors Association has disputed Unite’s claims that workers are exploited or on precarious contracts.
The industry body insisted its members pay a “fair wage” and branded Unite’s claims ”false and misleading”, adding there have been 10 outbreaks in food plants so far.
It comes after the government's own scientific advisors called for extra financial support for people forced to go into 14 days' coronavirus isolation.
People who develop symptoms, or have contact with a confirmed case, are told to isolate for 14 days. They can receive Statutory Sick Pay - but any further payments are up to their employer.
Chief Scientific Advisor Patrick Vallance has highlighted the cold, noisy environment factories as a risk for food factory workers. Environment Secretary George Eustice suggested canteens or car-sharing could be to blame.
But Unite accused ministers of ignoring the financial element.
The union said they were alerted to one possible factory outbreak by bus drivers, who rang the union worried about the state of people they were taking to factory gates.
Unite national officer Bev Clarkson said many workers who live in crowded shared houses due to low wages could not afford to fall back onto Statutory Sick Pay.
She said: "It’s appalling. These workers are living a nightmare at the moment. They don’t know what’s the right thing to do.
"Stay at home and starve, or go to work and risk contracting the disease, then passing it on to their family?
“They’ve no choice whatsoever. I think in this day and age it’s absolutely disgusting we’ve got workers living and working in these conditions.”
The unions raised their fears in a meeting with Shadow Environment Secretary Luke Pollard.
One union, UNISON, wrote to the Health and Safety Executive on Friday to demand the Food Standards Agency carry out “thorough” individual visits to meat factories.
The union called for the HSE to launch an urgent investigation into the FSA, claiming it has used a “generic” risk assessment that “covers hundreds of workplaces”.
National Officer Paul Bell told the meeting some meat plants were a “Wild West situation”, adding: “Everyone’s on top of each other.
“When you enter and leave these plants, everybody goes through the same entrance or exit. They are very secure places… and everyone is grouped together.”
In his formal complaint to the HSE, he wrote: “UNISON expects the FSA to protect its workforce and contractors.
“We believe the duty of care has not [been] met nor satisfied under the Health & Safety at Work Regulations Act 1974.
“The generic risk assessment written by the FSA does not adequately cover the risk and the FSA has so far refused to provide the risk assessments from local FSA managers.
“UNISON would faithfully request that the Health & Safety Executive urgently investigate the FSA for potential breaches to The Act in order that our members are protected as the key workers necessary for the food supplies of the country.”
The Food Standards Agency hit back, saying the HSE had decided to take no action.
An FSA spokeswoman said: ”It is incorrect to say that the FSA applied a generic risk assessment to hundreds of food business operator sites where its inspectors and veterinarians work.
"The FSA developed a generic methodology which was then applied on a site-by-site basis."
"We welcomed the opportunity to explain this approach to the HSE and we will continue to keep each work location under review."
During the meeting, reps agreed low temperatures and loud volume make meat packers more at risk of catching Covid-19.
But Ms Clarkson accused the government of “burying their heads in the sand” for blaming car-sharing and canteens.
“A lot of the meat companies have dealt with the canteens”, she said. “They’ve put in booths for people to sit and have their lunch - but they only spend 5% of their working day in a canteen.”
She added some workers are agency staff who work in multiple plants, risking cross-contamination.
Mr Troake said workers are “literally shoulder-to-shoulder” in some plants despite social distancing improvements.
Mr O’Hearn added: “What we’ve seen is basically business as usual, some modifications - sometimes curtains or screens - but nothing that is particularly suitable.
“Because a lot of the infrastructure is very old and the ability to expand and move is very limited.”
The British Meat Processors Association said claims workers face "widespread exploitation" were "false and misleading".
BMPA Chief Executive Nick Allen said: “Far from offering insecure or zero-hours contracts... our members seek to hold on to their staff by offering them stable, permanent employment and a fair wage.
"Indeed, most overseas workers typically stay for two years or more”.
A BMPA spokeswoman said one Unite survey covered only 150 people, who all worked at one plant with an outbreak.
The BMPA said last week that "only 10 out of 1079 UK meat plants (less than 1%) have experienced instances of Covid-19 over what’s already prevalent in the wider community."
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