Denying staff pay a danger: Swinney

Minister urges rethink on zero-hour contract policy

Forcing factory workers into quarantine without a wage could compromise local efforts to battle coronavirus.

Deputy First Minister John Swinney said having contract staff self-isolating on no pay could “jeopardise” the good work being done to contain the cluster at the 2 Sisters chicken factory in Coupar Angus.

The Courier revealed on Wednesday around 250 staff on zero-hour contracts would not get paid while the factory remains closed.

More than 900 permanent staff employed by the 2 Sisters Food Group have been promised full pay, on condition they comply with government rules and stay indoors.

The incident management team dealing with the outbreak revealed there are 177 positive cases, an increase of 11 from Wednesday.

All workers and household contacts have to self-isolate until August 31, even if they have had a negative test.

The decision not to pay all employees has angered politicians and union officials.

One worker told The Courier yesterday how she and her daughter got stuck in Scotland, after arriving on holiday in March – just days before lockdown.

The Latvian national, now selfisolating in a flat in Forfar, said: “Because of lockdown I had to stay here longer.

“Me and my daughter are living in one room in a three-bedroom flat.

“We have to share the kitchen and bathroom with two men, one of whom had a positive test.”

She said: “I had been working at the chicken factory, but because all offices are closed I have been working without a National Insurance number.

“This means I can’t apply for Universal Credit or accommodation.

“My agency said it will pay me nothing because I have a zero-hours contract.”

The worker, who asked not be named, added: “I feel like I’m in a swamp.

“The more I try to change something, the more I am pulled down.”

She said she has been surviving with help from her friends and food parcels from Angus Council.

Staffline UK, the recruitment agency responsible for many of the contract workers at the factory, said statutory sick pay was being offered to isolated employees “where an NHS online self-isolation certificate has been completed.”

The Nottingham-based company, which provides workers to several food production plants, was last month hit with a £15 million bill for not paying its staff the national minimum wage.

Local SNP MSP Mr Swinney said: “For those self-isolating, it is vital that adequate financial support is available.

“Agency workers are a vital part of the 2 Sisters workforce, and it is unfair and unreasonable that many are now expected to rely on the generosity of the local community to run their households.”

He said: “Moreover, the decision not to offer adequate pay jeopardises the region’s fight against Covid.

“As their financial situation becomes more desperate, it is possible that we will see instances of individuals who should be isolating going out to look for temporary work.

“This will obviously hamper the effectiveness of our response to this outbreak.”