Results 4,521-4,540 of 6,944 for speaker:Michael McNamara
- Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (10 Jul 2020)
Michael McNamara: You did not come across anybody who had encountered this particular practice or any practice like it?
- Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (10 Jul 2020)
Michael McNamara: I thank Ms McKeown. Deputy Devlin for Fianna Fáil has ten minutes.
- Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (10 Jul 2020)
Michael McNamara: Does Ms McGinley wish to come back in on any of the points Deputy Devlin made?
- Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (10 Jul 2020)
Michael McNamara: Ms McGinley suggested that sectoral permits might improve the situation. However, farmers typically complain that there is very little variance in how they are treated between one meat plant and another. Is there a great variance in how workers are treated across meat plants, in Ms McGinley's experience?
- Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (10 Jul 2020)
Michael McNamara: I appreciate the general advantage of sectoral employment permits in all areas, but how would it benefit individual workers in meat plants? Are they not being left with a choice of going from the frying pan into the fire if they leave one employer and go to another?
- Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (10 Jul 2020)
Michael McNamara: Certainly, we will consider that.
- Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (10 Jul 2020)
Michael McNamara: I agree with the Deputy on the utility of a further meeting. It is, of course, in the hands of the Business Committee. The Deputy's party has a representative on that.
- Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (10 Jul 2020)
Michael McNamara: Very good. The next speaker is from the Labour Party, Deputy Duncan Smith.
- Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (10 Jul 2020)
Michael McNamara: On that point, we received a useful submission from ICTU. I have also read an interesting report from the European Federation of Food, Agriculture and Tourism Trade Unions that SIPTU contributed heavily to. I completely agree with the Deputy. He is on the Business Committee.
- Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (10 Jul 2020)
Michael McNamara: For once, we will take the long answer.
- Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (10 Jul 2020)
Michael McNamara: One of the economic arguments, although there are other arguments, made in favour of processing in Ireland and against live exports is the number of jobs being created in Ireland. If those jobs are being filled by migrant workers, perhaps that is seen to diminish that argument. I do not know, but Ms. McGinley made an interesting point.
- Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (10 Jul 2020)
Michael McNamara: I accept Ms McGinley's point, but I am just stating that is one of the economic arguments made in favour of processing in Ireland. I call Deputy Cairns of the Social Democrats.
- Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (10 Jul 2020)
Michael McNamara: We cannot conduct inspections but we can make recommendations to amend legislation and to change practices by State agencies.
- Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (10 Jul 2020)
Michael McNamara: The Deputy is welcome to join us when we write the report. I call Deputy Murphy.
- Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (10 Jul 2020)
Michael McNamara: Specifically on the allegation that workers took paracetamol to lower temperature, has the MRCI encountered that?
- Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (10 Jul 2020)
Michael McNamara: Yes, go ahead.
- Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (10 Jul 2020)
Michael McNamara: In fairness, I do not think most farmers would be overly protective of meat factories. In any event, that question has been asked and answered. If it had been a new question, I might have been more indulgent.
- Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (10 Jul 2020)
Michael McNamara: That is the response. We will hear from Deputy Shanahan from the Regional Group next.
- Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (10 Jul 2020)
Michael McNamara: I thank the Deputy. It is interesting that what the MRCI has said is substantiated by the SIPTU contribution to the European Federation of Food, Agriculture and Tourism Trade Unions. According to it, workers earn the minimum wage or slightly above it, but some workers are on piecework and paid on the basis of the kilograms they process. I suppose that is meant to incentivise them, but it is...
- Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (10 Jul 2020)
Michael McNamara: Perhaps it is a question that we could usefully put to Meat Industry Ireland during the next session.