Results 361-380 of 10,843 for speaker:Matt Carthy

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (10 Jul 2020)

Matt Carthy: I thank the witnesses for the work MRCI has been doing and for their presentations. We have received a report, which was compiled by Dr. Mannix and provided to NPHET, I understand, on 3 June. It states: "The Department are not currently aware of any plant where their staff have any significant concerns in relation to lack of compliance or inaction on the part of food business operators in...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (10 Jul 2020)

Matt Carthy: How is it possible that the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine was not aware of concerns regarding specific plants? This was on 3 June, at a time the media profile of this issue was at its highest. How would it be possible that someone could compile an official report for NPHET and state the Department was not aware of concerns regarding individual plants?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (10 Jul 2020)

Matt Carthy: The same report commends the meat industry on its adoption of procedures to protect workers, as does today's submission from Meat Industry Ireland, but the evidence of the witnesses and the submissions we have received from SIPTU and others report that some employers ignored completely the recommendations of the HSE. Who is lying to whom? How are we getting to a point where workers'...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (10 Jul 2020)

Matt Carthy: The report also states the decision of the HSE to convey test results to employers in meat plants was in line with legislation. It was a legal practice. To ask a broader question on the work of the MRCI, is Ms McGinley aware of any other industry where employers were informed of the test results regarding the health status of their employees before the workers themselves?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (10 Jul 2020)

Matt Carthy: Does Ms McGinley know offhand how many instances occurred? Can she get this information? As was mentioned earlier, we have asked the HSE but have not received a response on how many individual workers or individual plants were involved.

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (10 Jul 2020)

Matt Carthy: It seems bizarre that we are relying on census information to try to get a sense of what proportion of the workforce in meat plants comes from migrant communities. Meat Industry Ireland refers to its migrant workforce as people from outside the EU. I am not sure whether any of them working here from Poland consider themselves to be domestic workers. Perhaps Ms McKeown might have information...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (10 Jul 2020)

Matt Carthy: In that regard, do the witnesses have a sense as to what proportion of management, from middle to upper level, is from a migrant background?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (10 Jul 2020)

Matt Carthy: I propose that the working group consider that we would send that correspondence to the CSO as a recommendation that it conduct that type of-----

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (10 Jul 2020)

Matt Carthy: Do the witnesses have any evidence, even anecdotal, to suggest what proportion of the workers they have encountered are members of trade unions?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (10 Jul 2020)

Matt Carthy: As for specific cases, are the witnesses aware of any instances in which workers went back to work having been tested but before the test results were conveyed to them?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (10 Jul 2020)

Matt Carthy: I am sorry for asking the witnesses these questions. The reason we are asking them is that the information they have provided to us is more comprehensive than what we have been able to ascertain from official sources, so there are clearly gaps here. I know we have another session in the afternoon, but we should invite Dr. Mannix to a future hearing. We should also invite the union...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (10 Jul 2020)

Matt Carthy: I will talk to him.

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (10 Jul 2020)

Matt Carthy: True.

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (Resumed) (10 Jul 2020)

Matt Carthy: I thank the witnesses for attending. I have a number of brief questions that require brief responses. How many cases of Covid-19 have there been in meat plants across the State?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (Resumed) (10 Jul 2020)

Matt Carthy: That is fine.

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (Resumed) (10 Jul 2020)

Matt Carthy: Mr. Carroll mentioned that there are no active cases, which we all hope is the case. Is the reduction in instances in meat plants down to what is happening in broader society or is it down to the actions implemented by his organisation's members?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (Resumed) (10 Jul 2020)

Matt Carthy: How often is mass testing taking place?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (Resumed) (10 Jul 2020)

Matt Carthy: Is the process of mass testing ongoing across all Meat Industry Ireland member plants as we speak?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (Resumed) (10 Jul 2020)

Matt Carthy: Is periodic mass testing taking place in Meat Industry Ireland members' sites as we speak?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (Resumed) (10 Jul 2020)

Matt Carthy: Maybe that would be an idea. We had a discussion earlier on, and there seems to be some confusion here. Could the witnesses indicate what proportion of the staff and workers at MII members' meat plants are migrants?