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Meat inspectors’ union meeting denied at Affco plant

PSA MEDIA RELEASE

March 25, 2011

For Immediate Use


Meat inspectors’ union meeting denied at Affco Imlay meat plant

Meat inspectors at the Affco Imlay meat plant were once again denied the right to meet their PSA union representative at 10am this morning. This time the excuse given was a European Union (EU) audit of a company-led meat inspection trial was underway.

“We understand the EU delegation is not even scheduled to arrive at the plant until 1.30pm. I don’t think EU representatives will be impressed by this action given that the EU promotes dialogue between employers and trade unions,” says the public sector union’s National Secretary Richard Wagstaff.

Unions access their members in workplaces throughout New Zealand every day without incident. Union access to members is important to monitor compliance with health and safety, for representing workers and in protecting workers from exploitation by their employer and in carrying out union business like collective bargaining and upholding contractual entitlements.

“We have no problems meeting with our meat inspector members at other meat plants. What distinguishes this plant is that a secretive company-led meat inspection trial is underway at the Affco Imlay plant,” says Richard Wagstaff.

“There’s been a lack of transparency around the company-led inspection trial at Imlay. The meat industry and the Food Safety Authority have given little opportunity to our meat inspector members to participate in it which has only served to strengthen their belief that the meat industry will take shortcuts if inspection is put into its hands. Blocking workers from meeting with their representatives does nothing to build confidence in the trials,” says Richard Wagstaff.

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Under a collective agreement between the public sector union and the meat inspectors’ employer AsureQuality, the PSA must give reasonable notice of any meetings with its members. Despite doing so in a letter of Feb 17th PSA union organiser Mike Farrell was denied access to the plant when he tried to meet with meat inspector union members at 10am this morning.

Meat inspectors will now meet their PSA union representative on a public road near the plant at midday today.

“It’s very rare to be denied access, especially when following agreed procedures. If union members are being denied the right to meet with their representatives now, imagine how it’s going to be after April 1st when union officials seeking to enter workplaces must first gain employer consent?,” says PSA organiser Mike Farrell.

“This is in breach of the legislation. Union access is a fundamental right, whether that access takes place on the employer’s property or, as in this case, a workplace that the employer doesn’t control,” says the public sector union’s National Secretary Richard Wagstaff.


ENDS

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