The site, once the biggest COVID-19 outbreak at the North American office, has a better position for paintings in the future, said the union leader who lobbied for stricter security measures.
Earlier this year, more than 950 boxes were connected to the Cargill meat processing plant near the High River, south of Calgary.
Two employees and the worker’s father died from the illness.
The JBS Canada plant in Brooks, east of Calgary, was also seriously affected, with 650 cases and one death.
Thomas Hesse of United Food and Commercial Workers’ Local 401, who represents staff at any of the plants, says cases have been presented as a component thank you to the union’s requests to improve security measures.
Inside the slaughterhouse: The largest coronavirus outbreak in North America began at this Alberta meat packing plant. Take a look inside
“Employers have adjusted their attitude, so to speak. They pay attention to us in a more productive and constructive way,” he told The Homestretch.
“They allow a greater union presence in factories, they pay attention to the representatives of their workers. We attend more and more dynamic meetings of protection and fitness committees.
“We see PPE, we see plexiglass barriers between workstations, all sorts of things that happen in those factories to control the situation.”
Jarrod Gillig, vice president of operations, said that when the plant reopened in May, protective barriers were installed on the production ground to allow for more space among workers and masks were placed in spaces where protective barriers were possible.
The plant has also implemented a temperature and redesigned the conversion rooms.
“I’m proud of our team and what we’ve been able to do and achieve Array… you think of all the paintings that kept the meat on the tables in Canada,” he said.
Gillig said the building’s cafeteria is also expanding so they can physically distance themselves.
But Hesse says there’s still a lot of anxiety among workers.
“The factories are structured around a lot of proximity,” he said.
“There are so many other people who do so much in such close neighborhoods.”
Hesse says procedures are underway at the Alberta Labor Relations Board to seek reimbursement for Cargill workers who have suffered financially as a result of the epidemic and the mess of the government and businesses to do whatever it takes.
“Actually, this is a case of negligence, gross negligence, in many ways,” he said.
“There will be consequences in terms of rights and obligations.”
With The Homestretch.
With Lucy Edwardson
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