Ms Nora Labo:

If I may make a statement on this issue, I would like to emphasise how hard it is for workers to obtain proper health and safety given the union busting techniques that many employers resort to in these meat packing plants. We have had many cases of workers who have unionised or unionised colleagues whose relatives were then denied employment in the same factories and who were blacklisted from all factories in the area if they left their employment or fought for their rights at work.

While we have recent important victories with, for instance, workers managing to establish health and safety committees in their factories, to kick out the agency which exploited them and to be directly employed, it is almost heroic for these migrant workers to achieve anything because there is much harassment and intimidation. There are many conjugated efforts from agencies and direct employers to eliminate unions from the equation. Unions would need stronger powers in this country if workers are to have their rights supported.