‘Meat industry jobs are no longer seen as a career’

CLAIMING that wage rates had been “depressed to the minimum”, he said MII had failed to engage with the union regarding working conditions.

“Workers in this industry share common cause with the beef farmers supplying the cattle: neither is getting just reward for their efforts,” Mr Browne said.

Many workers who were temporarily laid off during the beef protests in August/September have not returned to the industry, a MII spokesman confirmed. Although 300 permits for non-EU workers were issued to the meat industry earlier this year, MII said more were now required.

Processors claim that it is increasingly difficult to get staff as the economy moves towards full employment.

But SIPTU said the meat processing industry’s difficulties in finding and retaining staff have more to do with pay and conditions than with national employment levels.

“The difficulty in recruiting new workers into the meat industry is that the jobs are no longer seen as a career,” Mr Browne said.

“The industry has de-skilled what were highly skilled jobs, apprenticeships are rare, and opportunities to progress in the industry are limited. This decline was managed.

“During the beef factory blockades we requested discussions with MII and had our request was rejected.

“This industry is facing difficulties and the stakeholders with the biggest numbers involved, the workforce, are denied any collective voice at the level of MII.”

AGRICULTURE Minister Michael Creed is to seek a derogation for tillage farmers on the 3 Crop Rule due to the wet autumn conditions.

Soils and fields are saturated and waterlogged countrywide, with many parts of Leinster and Munster flooded, according to Met Eireann.

IFA national grain chairman Mark Browne welcomed the move and called on the minister to recognise the difficulties which farmers were facing in complying with greening regulations due to the weather issues.

“Forcing farmers to plant crops into unsuitable ground conditions would only further exacerbate the poor income situation prevailing on many tillage farms,” he said.

Last week saw contrasting rainfall totals across the country, with the south-east seeing very wet conditions. Some counties got twice the average rainfall.

In contrast, the north-west had around half the normal rainfall levels. Little change is expected over the coming week.

The west and north-west of the country are likely to have less than half of the average, whereas the south and east will get near average, while some counties in the southeast may get one and half times the norm.

The industry has de-skilled what were highly skilled jobs, apprenticeships are rare, and opportunities to progress are limited’