An Equality and Human Rights Commission inquiry has uncovered widespread mistreatment and exploitation of migrant and agency workers in the meat and poultry processing sector, including many firms who are suppliers of British supermarkets.
Workers reported physical and verbal abuse and a lack of proper health and safety protection, with the treatment of pregnant workers a particular concern, says the report.
Physical and verbal abuse were not uncommon, according to the Commission report, with a fifth of workers interviewed reporting being pushed, kicked or having things thrown at them by line managers.
Over a third of workers interviewed said they had experienced, or witnessed verbal abuse, often on a daily basis. Workers also reported being refused permission to take toilet breaks, and subsequently urinating or bleeding on themselves at the production line.
A quarter of those interviewed said they had witnessed mistreatment of pregnant workers, such as the instant dismissal of agency workers who had announced they were pregnant. Pregnant women were also forced to continue to undertake work that posed risks to their health and safety, including heavy lifting and extended periods of standing.
Director General of the Equality and Human Rights Commission Neil Kinghan said:
“The Commission’s inquiry reveals widespread and significant ill-treatment in the industry. We have heard stories of workers subjected to bullying, violence and being humiliated and degraded by being denied toilet breaks. Some workers feel they have little choice but to put up with these conditions out of economic necessity. Others lack the language skills to understand and assert their rights.
“While most supermarkets are carrying out audits of their suppliers, our evidence shows that these audits are not safeguarding workers and they clearly need to take steps to improve them. The processing firms themselves and the agencies supplying their workers also need to pay more than lip service to ensuring that workers are not subjected to unlawful and unethical treatment.
“We recognise that some retailers and processing firms have taken steps to operate in a way which improves the treatment of workers in the sector. However, there is still a lot that they and others could do.”
The Association of Labour Providers (ALP) welcomed the Commission’s report, saying:
“The recommendations merit careful study by government, regulators, supermarkets, labour providers and labour users. The ALP is willing to discuss the issues with the other parties.
“Some of the recommendations, such as paying workers for travelling time and engaging workers on contracts of employment rather than contracts for services, are not possible unless there is a commitment from retailers and labour users to meet such costs, and past experience suggests that this is unlikely.”
If individual cases of mistreatment at work are provable, in some cases employees could be eligible to claim personal injury compensation.
UK employers have a duty of care to look after their workers and cases of physical and psychological abuse at work have in the past led to winnable personal injury compensation cases.
Many workers in the alleged cases outlined had little knowledge of their rights and feared raising concerns would lead to dismissal, says the Equality and Human Rights Commission, which is a statutory body and the independent advocate for equality and human rights in Britain.
While migrant workers were most affected, British agency workers also faced similar mistreatment, says the Commission.
The inquiry uncovered frequent breaches of the law and licensing standards in meat processing factories – some of which supply the UK’s biggest supermarkets – and the agencies that supply workers to them. It also highlighted conditions which flout minimum ethical trading standards and basic human rights, says the Commission.
However, the inquiry also found examples of good practice with firms treating permanent and agency workers of all nationalities with respect. These firms benefited as a result, by being able to attract and retain well motivated, loyal and increasingly skilled workers.
As a result of the inquiry, the Commission is making a number of recommendations. These include supermarkets improving their auditing of suppliers, processing firms and agencies improving recruitment practices, working environments and the ability of workers to raise issues of concern. And for the government to provide sufficient resources for the Gangmasters’ Licensing Agency to help safeguard the welfare and interests of workers.
The Commission says it will review action taken over the next 12 months by supermarkets, processing firms and recruitment agencies, and will consider taking enforcement action if necessary.
The inquiry, which was launched in October 2008, examined the employment and recruitment practices in the sector to identify differences in pay and conditions between agency and temporary workers and employees with permanent or directly employed status.
More details of the inquiry can be obtained from the Commission’s website: www.equalityhumanrights.com.
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