JBS abattoir workers walk off the job until they are guaranteed COVID safety

Employees at a Melbourne abattoir linked to more than 70 cases of coronavirus have walked off the job this morning until they can be guaranteed safety against the virus.

WORKERS at JBS Australia’s Brooklyn plant have walked off the job just 24 hours after reopening from a forced shutdown due to recording positive coronavirus cases.

There has been 71 confirmed cases connected to the site, with the first working testing positive on July 5. They were originally ordered to remain closed until July 29.

It is reported that a worker who attended the site yesterday hadn’t completed the mandatory 14 days in isolation and remained there for more than an hour before being sent home.

The United Workers Union, who represent 150 cold storage workers at JBS, have expressed concerns over what the company was doing to keep their employees safe and ensure they have adequate leave to isolate for the required amount of time.

JBS responded that they would only meet with the union after their workers had returned.

United Workers Union Victorian branch secretary Susie Alison said the lack of communication between the company and its employees was concerning, with workers reporting inadequate social distancing measures and balaclavas being shared between colleagues.

“JBS has consistently failed their workforce by not communicating with their workers and by not consulting with their representatives,” she said.

“These workers have been battling through this crisis with almost no support. They don’t want to have gone through all that only to walk back onto the floor and catch the virus.”

MORE TO COME