Ms Patricia King:

ICTU represents over 800,000 members in every sector of the economy across our island. We welcome the opportunity to appear before the committee this morning.

On previous occasions, both through written submissions and oral evidence, ICTU has outlined to members details of our active and significant role in responding to the Covid-19 outbreak in Ireland on behalf of workers. In June, this committee sought and received our submission relating to the emergence of clusters of Covid-19 in the meat processing sector. It is, therefore, not my intention to repeat the points raised therein.

Meat processing plants, in our view, are very vulnerable to the spread of Covid-19 and should be regarded as high-risk workplaces in terms of viral spread. There are specific features which underpin this classification that are recognised globally. Meat processing is labour intensive, involving very physically demanding work, organised around at-pace production lines where workers work in close proximity to one another, making social distancing difficult to achieve, while language differences can often impede good communications. Despite the fact that this is a highly profitable, heavily subsidised industry, low pay and deficient terms and conditions, including the absence of sick pay schemes, are common across the sector. Workers may often live in crowded or congregated accommodation settings while transportation to and from work may not always be conducive to practising the required social distancing measures.

From a very early stage, our affiliate trade union, SIPTU, has continuously highlighted the vulnerability of the meat processing sector to the spread of Covid 19. I have no doubt its representatives will elaborate on this. We have also regularly liaised with the Migrant Rights Centre Ireland, MRCI, on these matters.

For our part, congress has, through the consultative forum of the national safety protocol, sought to have a number of key principles adopted, which would serve to contain the spread of the virus and address the recent spikes in cases in meat processing plants in the midlands. A special meeting of the forum was convened last Friday, 7 August 2020, to discuss the crisis in the sector. It was attended by the acting chief medical officer. At that meeting, congress called for the introduction of regular testing of all workers in the meat processing sector and the reassessment of the use of PPE in these plants. It called on the Health and Safety Authority to conduct random and unannounced inspections of all meat processing facilities, with instruction for closure where appropriate, bearing in mind its extensive powers of enforcement. In addition, where workers have tested positive and are on sick leave, self-isolating or in circumstances of temporary lay-off, congress stated they should be paid. We note that following this meeting, the Government announced that the pandemic unemployment payment of €350 covering sick pay, isolation period and lay-off time will be made available to migrant workers and those living in direct provision settings.

Congress has petitioned both the Health and Safety Authority and the Government to classify this disease as an occupational injury which would provide statutory protection to workers in the face of Covid-19, but to no avail. The effect of its exclusion from the scope of current regulations is that the employer is not obliged to notify the Health and Safety Authority of incidents of employees having contracted the disease in the course of their employment. Consequently, the HSA cannot undertake an investigation so as to establish how it may have occurred, nor can it advise or give instructions on the prevention of similar occurrences. This is a major flaw in current regulations that should be rectified swiftly. Congress is very dissatisfied that the HSA seems not to be supportive of this remedy but rather views Covid-19 as a public health matter and not a safety, health and welfare at work issue. Congress, through its HSA board representation, has sought to have this very serious matter progressed but all such efforts have been rejected through correspondence from the chairman of the HSA.

In the face of this lethal virus the health and safety of our communities and workforce is paramount. Therefore, no effort should be spared in ensuring that all the necessary measures are put in place to contain and eliminate this disease. We hope the committee will recommend favourably on the matters we have raised.