The organisation will say that the recent outbreak has resulted in a rush to "blame and complain" that nothing has been done to prevent the spread of the virus in an industrial setting.
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. Dr Sharon McGuinness, Chief Executive Officer of the Health and Safety Authority, will tell politicians that inspection visits to meat processing plants with known outbreaks were pre-advised at short notice to ensure that relevant management were available to facilitate a thorough inspection.
Greg Ennis, Divisional Organiser with SIPTU, will say that members in the meat processing industry remain petrified of contracting the virus. Mr Ennis will point out that 90% of workers within the industry do not have sick pay, forcing workers to go to work, even if they are feeling unwell with possible Covid-19 symptoms.