Workers to protest at Waterford festival

WORKERS at Dawn Meats and Unite union officials are distributing leaflets at this weekend’s Waterford Food Festival in protest over health, safety and pay issues.

Unite officials say they have received no reply to any communications sent to the company about the concerns of workers at the plant in Grannagh, Co Waterford.

Unite officer Roy Hassey said: “Dawn Meats is one of the sponsors at the food festival, so we want people to know the kind of company they are buying from. We wrote to the company and told them that if they wrote back to agree a date for a meeting, we would call of the leaflet drop.

“We are just looking to sit down and talk about the issues. We want to meet about health and safety as some workers have suffered strain injuries. The group’s other plants are unionised, but Dawn has refused to meet with unions at Grannagh since the boning hall re-opened in 2009.”

The company, Siptu and the LRC all agreed in 2009 that the reopened boning hall would be unionised. Nine local and national TDs, one MEP and 30 local councillors have signed an open letter asking Dawn Meats to engage with the union.

Unite has also informed the LRC regarding 30 workers who transferred to Grannagh from the Dawn plant in Rathdowney, Co Laois, whose wages were cut by 30% without negotiation. Unite claims some Brazilian workers were told their wives’ work permits would be withheld if they joined the union. Unite also claims non-payment of overtime as per industry standards.