In a meeting between unions and Labour, attended by the Mirror, reps said some low-wage food workers cannot afford to isolate on £95.85-a-week Statutory Sick Pay. The industry body insisted its members pay a “fair wage” and branded Unite’s claims ”false and misleading”, adding there have been 10 outbreaks in food plants so far. Chief Scientific Advisor Patrick Vallance has highlighted the cold, noisy environment factories as a risk for food factory workers. National Officer Paul Bell told the meeting some meat plants were a “Wild West situation”, adding: “Everyone’s on top of each other. The BMPA said last week that "only 10 out of 1079 UK meat plants (less than 1%) have experienced instances of Covid-19 over what’s already prevalent in the wider community."

Source: Daily Mirror July 11, 2020 06:00 UTC