The German government has approved a concept of tightening control measures and improving labor protection at meat industry enterprises due to a series of COVID-19 outbreaks at meatpacking facilities amid the gradual lifting of quarantine measures, Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Hubertus Heil said on Wednesday
BERLIN (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th May, 2020) The German government has approved a concept of tightening control measures and improving labor protection at meat industry enterprises due to a series of COVID-19 outbreaks at meatpacking facilities amid the gradual lifting of quarantine measures, Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Hubertus Heil said on Wednesday.
Germany has seen several new COVID-19 outbreaks occur throughout May at meat factories across the country. In particular, 109 COVID-19 cases were recently detected in a slaughterhouse of the Segeberg district in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein and 200 cases at a meat processing plant in the Coesfeld town in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Both have large groups of seasonal workers.
"The cabinet today agreed on a number of key points to improve labor protection within the meat industry," the minister said at a press conference.
The plan comprises 10 points and, according to Heil, the most important one is a ban on subcontracting in the meat industry.
"From January 1, 2021, only employees of companies (of factory owners) can participate in slaughtering livestock and processing meat. Thus, subcontracts and staff rentals will not be possible from January 1 of the upcoming year," Heil stated.
Among other measures proposed by the minister are more frequent inspections, reports by companies on places of residence of foreign labor involved in production, electronic work schedules for employees and increasing fines for violations of the law on working hours.
