A damning report on the failure of meat companies to protect their workers during the pandemic has been published by FAIRR, a global network of investors focusing on environmental, social and governance risks in the global protein industry. Unpacking Labour Risk in Global Meat Supply Chains, FAIRR’s first report (English only) on working conditions in the meat sector describes sub-standard labour relations: “the impact of COVID-19 clearly demonstrates the sector’s need for more robust workforce protections and greater recognition by companies in their policies, disclosures, and practices of the importance and significance of the worker voice in identifying risk within operations.”
The IUF Secretariat provides advice to FAIRR on access to rights and the application of labour standards. The IUF Asia Pacific Region and IUF Latin America Region provided background information and input to the survey of companies which led to the report. The report concludes:
- The COVID pandemic exposed dangerous and harmful labour practices with precarious employment contracts exacerbating labour risk
- Companies should encourage the representation of workers through independent trade unions and enter into widespread collective bargaining. Transparency on rates of union membership, number of workers protected through collective bargaining and standards required of suppliers demonstrate how a company enforces its support for these fundamental rights
- Sick pay is a necessary provision in improving the standards and reporting of occupational safety and health
- Companies should engage with workers and their unions concerning climate change and automation and should align their climate strategies within a Just Transition framework
IUF Assistant General Secretary James Ritchie stated, “IUF affiliates are encouraged to use this powerful report as an organizing tool to increase union membership and collective bargaining in the meat industry. The FAIRR investor network represents USD 47 trillion worth of assets under management, and the IUF will continue to work with FAIRR to open the space for more meat workers to access their rights and benefit from union membership and collective bargaining.”
