SIPTU questions accuracy in numbers of Covid-19 infections in meat industry workers
SIPTU are questioning the accuracy of the numbers of infections among workers in the meat industry following a large outbreak at a processing plant in Cork.
66 employees at the ABP plant in Bandon were diagnosed as Covid positive in recent days.
ABP say they implemented measures to prevent the spread of the virus at the start of the pandemic and say they're operating at a significantly reduced capacity since the outbreak
The union say the number of positive tests in the meat industry has not increased in proportion to the number of cases in the country, and say the fact that close contacts aren't being testing could be a factor.
Speaking to RedFM News, Greg Ennis from SIPTU outlines how the numbers of food industry employees with covid has increased in the past few months.
"Back in July there was 1,200 cases, these are national figures. In October there was 920, and in December there was over 2,100 cases approx.
"When you think of the third wave of Covid and the increase in numbers in confirmed cases, it stretches credibility too far to believe that the meat industry hasn't moved pro rate with it, or beyond.
"The meat industry has proven to be in all of the sectors in Irish society outside of health provision, it's proven to be the sector with the greatest number of vectors for the transmission of Covid."
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