The chair of the Special Oireachtas Committee on Covid-19 has said he is concerned some meat industry workers are being placed in a "serfdom situation" where they cannot leave their jobs despite serious virus safety fears.
Speaking before today's meetings with Meat Industry Ireland, Food Drink Ireland, the Health and Safety Authority, SIPTU, ICTU and the Independent Workers Union, Mr McNamara said questions need to be answered over workers conditions at the plants. "For example, what are their accommodation practices, and that's why we'll be bringing in representatives of workers such as SIPTU and ICTU as well. It will of course be the meat industry's second time in with the committee, we had them in in July.
"We've taken a different approach to the rest of Europe and we're told that is justified on the basis of press clippings from across Europe of outbreaks. Asked about Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly's decision not to attend today's committee meetings, saying in a letter to the committee yesterday he was informed at late notice, Mr McNamara said Department of Health officials had been told in advance of the request.The committee will hold three sessions over the course of today in the Dáil chamber to comply with physical distancing rules.
Meat Industry Ireland will defend meat processing plants' fight against the coronavirus when it appears before the committee today. The organisation is also going to say that rigid enforcement of controls and mitigation measures since early June, as well as announced and unannounced audits, have reversed the trend of positive cases in the sector.
Divisional Organiser with SIPTU Greg Ennis will say that members in the meat processing industry remain petrified of contracting the virus. He will question why the Health and Safety Authority did not commence inspections at meat plants until late in May, and why there are still very few unannounced inspections at plants.
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