People before Profit demand the WRC and HAS inspect Keelings and enforce health and safety rules.
Stop the gross exploitation of workers
Many people were rightly shocked by footage of large numbers of people coming off a Ryanair flight last night.
Reports suggest the flight was full, that no social distancing could be implemented and the workers are due to work as fruit pickers in Keeling’s sites.
Many are rightly outraged that Ryanair could pack a flight and that Keelings could have such little regard for the safety of these workers and the wider community.
While ordinary people are in lockdown with only essential work suppose to be carried out, we have heard of multiple stories of employers and business trying to get around the rules. Many employers are trying to get workers to carry out non-essential work or failing to implement safety rules because of costs.
Here, Keelings a 300 million euro multinational business has shown utter disregard for the safety of their workforce and the wider community, The Govt and the relevant authorities such as the HSA have been asleep and refused to enforce safety guidelines on many employers.
Keelings and others thrive on low paid labour to carry out the essential work around food production. That’s how they make their money. They are chums with Fine Gael, with Simon Coveney appointing one family member as chair of Horse Racing Ireland in 2013. This Government will turn a blind eye to employers like Keeling’s flouting safety rules to make greater profits
We call on the Government to insure these workers are paid properly and that they have accommodation that allows for social distancing and isolation if necessary.
Keelings must be held to account for the safety and health of these workers.
Ryanair and Michael OLeary must also be held to account for their actions. This company made one billion euro last year but OLeary put his own workers safety at risk as well as the workers coming to work for Keelings. Ryanair have placed many of their workers on part time hours and cut their wages. They are also getting the state to pay their workers wages under the wages subsidy scheme despite making a billion la euro in profits last year
This means the WRC and the HSA must inspect the facilities where these workers will work and stay .
This crisis has shown that many low paid jobs are essential to our societies health and well being. From retail workers to farm workers we must end the abuse of essential workers and insure their pay and conditions are decent.
The workers now employed by Keelings are not the problem, their employer, Ryanair and the lack of Government regulation is. Our anger must be directed at these and not the workers themselves.