Business
Revealed: Exploitation Of Meat Plant Workers Rife Across UK And Europe
Revealed: exploitation of meat plant workers rife across UK and Europe
Thousands of outsourced workers on inferior pay and conditions to fulfil demand for cheap meat, investigation shows
Meat plant across Europe have been hiring thousands of workers through subcontractors, agencies and bogus co-operatives on inferior pay and conditions, a Guardian investigation has found.
Workers, officials and labour experts have described how Europe’s £190bn meat industry has become a global hotspot for outsourced labour, with a floating cohort of workers, many of whom are migrants, with some earning 40% to 50% less than directly employed staff in the same factories.
Evidence has been uncovered of a two-tier employment system with workers subjected to sub-standard pay and conditions to fulfil the meat industry’s need for a replenishable source of low-paid, hyper-flexible workers.
About 1 million people work in Europe’s meat sector, with unions estimating that thousands of workers in some countries are precariously employed through subcontractors and agencies.
“The system is sick everywhere across Europe. It’s based on cheap prices for meat, on the exploitation of labour,” said Enrico Somaglia, deputy secretary general of the European Federation of Food, Agriculture and Tourism Trade Unions. “You have workers elbow to elbow doing the same work, but under different conditions.”
Workers often have undefined working hours, zero-hours contracts, bogus self-employed status and no sick pay. Workers describe living in an extremely precarious state in countries where they do not speak the language and therefore struggle to understand their agreements and legal rights.
“They can fire you instantly and you can lose everything,” said a Romanian worker in the Netherlands.
In the Netherlands – one of Europe’s largest meat exporters with sales worth €8.8bn (£7.5bn) last year – the labour inspectorate said migrants, primarily on precarious contracts, make up to 90% of the workforce.
The UK’s meat plant are struggling with a shortage of workers as they gear up for Christmas, as many of the eastern European workers employed in the sector returned to their home countries during the Covid pandemic and have not come back. Unions predict the use of agency and subcontracted migrant labour will become more prevalent because local people do not want to work in meat plants.
Unions are calling for an immediate Europe-wide ban on the use of precarious workers in meat plants. “Without a shadow of a doubt, agencies and subcontracted work should be banned,” said Bev Clarkson of Unite Union.
Serife Erol, researcher at Ruhr-University Bochum in Germany, said: “If the meat processing companies cannot get the margins through selling the products, they have the opportunity of getting it through the payments of their workers.”
EU enlargement from 2004 – and free movement of people across Europe – brought a vast pool of people from Romania, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland and Hungary willing to migrate for work opportunities.
Across Europe, the freedom of movement for workers has been misused, said Özlem Alev Demirel, MEP from the German Die Linke party. “Employers have depressed wages by bringing workers from countries where wages are lower, and the social security systems are weak, and this is not acceptable.” She said the principle of the same wage for the same work at the same place must be upheld across Europe.
As the economies of countries such as Poland improved, and the need for a replenishable source of cheap labour increased, the search has extended across the world to countries such as Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Vietnam, the Philippines, Timor-Leste, Georgia, India, China and Armenia.
Romanian agencies are now bringing workers across the world from south Asia, specifically Nepal and Sri Lanka. Their visas are dependent on the jobs they get; if they are fired, they become illegal immigrants. “In Romania, we are abusing Nepalese workers in the same way Romanians are abused elsewhere,” said Nora Labo, who worked for the Independent Workers Union in Ireland until earlier this year.
Nicolas Schmit, EU commissioner for jobs and social rights, said that it is up to member states to uphold labour law. “EU law is clear: all workers hired via agencies and subcontractors should be guaranteed the same rights as permanent employees. National authorities must enforce these rules.”
Karsten Maier, secretary general of UECBV, which represents 20,000 companies in the livestock and meat trade across Europe, as well as Japan, Russia and Ukraine, said labour conditions were not part of its work but were the responsibility of the companies, as well as the relevant authorities. “Abuse of any kind will not be tolerated,” said Maier, adding cases should be prosecuted accordingly.
Business
NNPC hasn’t authorised sale of petrol to marketers – Dangote refinery replies IPMAN
The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has stated that it has not received any payments from the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) for refined petroleum products, clarifying its position amidst ongoing concerns from oil marketers regarding petrol supplies.
According to a statement on Thursday, October 31, by Anthony Chiejina, the group’s chief branding and communications officer, the refinery has no business dealings with IPMAN and cannot be held accountable for any payments made to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
This comes after Aliko Dangote, founder of Dangote Industries Limited (DIL), noted that the refinery holds over 500 million liters of petrol, yet oil marketers are reportedly not purchasing the product. IPMAN, however, countered by claiming its members have struggled to load petrol from the refinery, despite having paid N40 billion to NNPC.
Chiejina confirmed that while discussions with IPMAN are ongoing, there are no direct business arrangements between the two. He emphasized, “It is misleading to suggest that they (IPMAN members) are experiencing difficulties loading refined products from our Petroleum Refinery, as we currently have no direct business dealings with them. Consequently, we cannot be held responsible for any payments made to other entities.”
The Dangote Refinery reiterated its capacity to meet national demand for various petroleum products, including petrol, diesel, and aviation fuel, capable of loading 2,900 trucks daily and transporting products by sea. The refinery also advised IPMAN to register and make direct payments for access, assuring, “There is more than enough petroleum product to satisfy the needs of their members.”
Chiejina urged stakeholders to avoid unsubstantiated media statements, warning that such actions could impede economic progress under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration. The statement called for collaboration among stakeholders, aligning with Tinubu’s economic re-engineering initiatives.
Business
Fake condoms flood Nigerian market, NAFDAC raises alarm
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, has raised the alarm on the illegal sale and distribution of fake brands of condoms in Nigeria.
NAFDAC said officials from the Post-Marketing Surveillance Directorate discovered Foula condoms (packaged in threes) in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, and Zango, Katsina State.
The agency said the product is not registered for use in Nigeria, stressing that the labelling of the product is not in the English language.
While warning that if the unregistered condoms leak or break they cannot offer adequate protection, NAFDAC directed its zonal directors and state coordinators to combat the issue, enhance surveillance, and eliminate these unregistered products.
It stated that the illegal distribution or sale of unregistered condoms poses a risk as the safety, quality, and efficacy of the products are not guaranteed.
“The purchase and use of poor-quality condoms will adversely affect every aspect of condom promotion for the prevention of unintended pregnancy and protection against HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. If condoms leak or break, they cannot offer adequate protection.
“All NAFDAC zonal directors and state coordinators have been directed to carry out surveillance and mop up the unregistered products within the zones and states.
“Importers, distributors, retailers, healthcare professionals, and consumers are hereby advised to exercise caution and vigilance within the supply chain to avoid importing, distributing, selling, and using illegally distributed products. All medical products/medical devices must be obtained from authorised/licensed suppliers,” it said.
Business
Ogun Govt solicits U.S. support for developmental programmes
Ogun Governor, Dapo Abiodun, has said that his administration would welcome supports from the United States’ Government in its efforts at improving the lives of the people of the State.
Abiodun stated this on Thursday when he received the Ambassador of the United States of America to Nigeria, Mr. Richard Mills, who paid him a courtesy call in his office at Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.
The governor, represented by his Deputy, Engr Noimot Salako-Oyedele informed the envoy that his administration has invested a lot in the past five years in the area of empowering the people in line with his vision to improve their ves and living standard.
Abiodun said: “Our vision on assumption of office was to improve the lives and livelihood of our people and the policies of the present administration over the past five years have been consistent.
“We have put a lot on the empowerment of our citizens. We had the Oko’wo Dapo programme where about 100,000 women benefitted to improve their financial capacity because we know that even though we have huge investments at the top end, the engine room of the economy is still the Small and Medium Scale end of it.
“We are working hard to put things in place that will leave a legacy of sustainable development and improve the lives of the people. As a State, we look forward to the support of the United States Government in what we are doing and we are open to work with you and partner with you on any initiative that you have which will improve the lives of our people.”
The governor added that his administration has invested hugely on infrastructure while adequate policies that provide for business friendly environment has been put in place, noting that this has led to more business inflow into the State, especially, Foreign Direct Investments in the last five years.
According to him, facilities such as the Agro-cargo Airport, has been provided to complement the various sectors of the State’s economy and the industries domiciled in the State to enable them import and export their goods without much stress.
“Just a few days ago, we had the ground breaking ceremony for our dry port so I hat our investors and manufacturers would not need to go all the he way to Apapa Port.
“We are also having our integrated transport system to make sure that we make Ogun State desirable for investments and we hope that with these projects added to all the other things we are doing, Ogun State would continue to be attractive for business and we look forward to doing more business with United States based companies,” he added.
Responding, Ambassador Richard Mills described the Ogun State as dynamic in the area of business and economic opportunities with a great deal of American investments.
He said through his discussion with the government officials, he has come to realize interesting programmes from small businesses to women entrepreneur as well as huge investments opportunities that abound in the State.
The Envoy said: “Ogun State is the State I wanted to visit for a long time since I arrived in Nigeria. It is a State where we can learn a lot, share programmes based on the successes that you have here.”
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