Results 8,221-8,240 of 11,641 for speaker:Colm Burke
- Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (10 Jul 2020)
Colm Burke: On the rights of people employed by an agency as opposed to by the factory itself, their rights are not the same. Can we identify what needs to be done in this area to make sure people have the same rights, whether they are employed by an agency or by the owner of the factory directly?
- Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (10 Jul 2020)
Colm Burke: The report that has come back from the employers is to effect that some 97% of workers have returned to work. Is that consistent with the witnesses' evidence on this issue? Have any follow-on problems arisen for people who were out because of Covid, such as loss of earnings or loss of holiday pay? Is there evidence of that occurring, from the witnesses' investigations?
- Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (10 Jul 2020)
Colm Burke: The employers tell us they have now provided guidance in the languages workers speak. I think there are about ten different languages used by workers because they come from a number of different countries. Have the witnesses seen evidence that the proper translation has occurred in relation to guidance, health and safety and so on? Is all of that information in the language of the...
- Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (10 Jul 2020)
Colm Burke: I thank the witnesses.
- Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (Resumed) (10 Jul 2020)
Colm Burke: I thank the witnesses for their presentation on the meat sector and industry. This may have been answered already but I did not pick it up. I understand there are approximately 50 meat processing plants across the country. Of those 50 units, how many were identified as having employees with Covid?
- Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (Resumed) (10 Jul 2020)
Colm Burke: There are quite a number of plants where Covid was not identified. What did those plants do differently compared with the 22 where it was identified? What measures did they take at an early stage? If the virus did not come into those plants they obviously had safety measures in place at an earlier stage.
- Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (Resumed) (10 Jul 2020)
Colm Burke: Would it not be wise for the industry to look at this issue and see what was done differently in the plants that did not have any cases compared with the plants that did? This is in case we have a second surge, though I hope that will not happen. Is now not the time to look at this issue?
- Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (Resumed) (10 Jul 2020)
Colm Burke: I want to move on. Information was conveyed by the HSE to the employers about employees who had tested positive before the employees themselves were advised. Why was there pressure put on by the industry for this to happen?
- Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (Resumed) (10 Jul 2020)
Colm Burke: My understanding is that pressure was put on by the employers for the information to be conveyed to them prior to it being conveyed to the employees.
- Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (Resumed) (10 Jul 2020)
Colm Burke: When it became available to the employers would it not have been appropriate for the employers, following through on people's rights, to state that the employees should be advised before them?
- Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (Resumed) (10 Jul 2020)
Colm Burke: One must have made the arrangement with the HSE for the information to be conveyed to the employers first.
- Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (Resumed) (10 Jul 2020)
Colm Burke: Mr. Carroll is confirming the pressure was not put on-----
- Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (Resumed) (10 Jul 2020)
Colm Burke: -----the HSE at any stage-----
- Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (Resumed) (10 Jul 2020)
Colm Burke: -----but he does accept that once the employers got the information they should have conveyed back to the HSE that it should be advising the employees first.
- Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (Resumed) (10 Jul 2020)
Colm Burke: I want to move on to the issue of permits for people coming from abroad. My understanding is that it is the employer who arranges the permit and works with the person coming in. This morning, it was suggested that there should be sectoral permits rather than a person being tied to the particular employer who is involved in getting the permit. Would the industry be happy with having the...
- Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (Resumed) (10 Jul 2020)
Colm Burke: I am asking whether the meat sector would have an objection to changes being made to allow a person to get a sectoral permit as opposed to a permit tied to one employer.
- Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (Resumed) (10 Jul 2020)
Colm Burke: Does Mr. Ryan accept, though, that some people who are tied to particular employers are slow to raise issues of concern with them, whether about health and safety or any other issue, because they are worried that if they want to transfer afterwards, it could cause concern for them?
- Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (Resumed) (10 Jul 2020)
Colm Burke: I wish to talk about the asymptomatic people identified in today's presentation. Is it possible that people felt they did not have the same level of supports there? I am talking about the people who come in from abroad. Mr. Carroll identified many people as asymptomatic. Because people do not have a huge amount of supports if they go on sick leave, is it possible that people may have been...
- Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (Resumed) (10 Jul 2020)
Colm Burke: There also may have been people who had symptoms but took whatever they felt was necessary in order to make sure no one was aware they had symptoms.
- Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (Resumed) (10 Jul 2020)
Colm Burke: Does Mr. Carroll not agree, then, that this may be arising because people did not have enough supports?