Manor Farm defends charging staff for PPE

One of the country's largest chicken processors which has a branch in Clonee is charging staff at its plants for personal protection equipment (PPE) it has been revealed.

Manor Farm, which operates plants and offices in counties Cavan, Monaghan and Meath, provides chicken products to a range of the biggest supermarkets in the country and employs around 750 staff

According to the Irish Examiner some staff had up to €50 deducted directly from their wages for the price of PPE during the pandemic.

Manor Farm has defended this action saying:

"There is a PPE deduction for all new starts to the business.

"A one-off deduction/ charge of €50.

"This one-off payment deduction is refunded to employees after 12 weeks through payroll.

"For the avoidance of any doubt, this is a pre-Covid-19 policy. The policy was implemented in 2014."

Concerns have been raised about the welfare of meat-processing workers concerning the spread of Covid-19 for several months, over 1,500 cases have been linked to outbreaks in meat plants.

Sinn Féin spokesperson on Agriculture Matt Carthy TD has said that the revelation by the Irish Examiner this charging employees for PPE is an utterly unacceptable situation and he has called for the practice to end immediately.

Teachta Carthy said:

"Since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, no other private industry has had more of an impact on Covid-19 case numbers than the meat and food processing sector.

"Meat plants have accounted for one third of workplace clusters. They are high-risk workplaces and the provision of PPE in these factories is essential to help halt the spread of Covid-19.

"The revelation this morning by the Irish Examiner that Manor Farm has been charging workers - many of whom are on incredibly low wages - for essential PPE reinforces many of the concerns about conditions in the food processing sector.

"It is unthinkable, in the midst of a global pandemic, that a company would not provide its workers with the equipment they need to keep them safe as a basic condition of their employment. This is an utterly unacceptable situation and the practice should end immediately.

"The Minister for Agriculture and the HSA should undertake to find out if this practice is happening elsewhere and ensure it is stamped out.

"This should serve as a reminder that the lack of transparency and poor working conditions in the meat and food processing sector need to be urgently addressed."