Staff at a Fife seafood factory are “treated worse than the fish” with worker welfare and health and safety a concern, a trade union claims.
Mowi salmon processing plant in Rosyth has been criticised by the Bakers Food and Allied Workers Union (BFAWU) for failing to provide adequate toilet facilities and breaks for around 1,000 staff.
The union said there is of a lack of toilets at the factory, time limited toilet breaks and staff being made to get cover before they go.
But Mowi has called the union’s claims “false and misleading” and there was “no truth” in the seven-minute toilet time rule flagged to the union by staff.
The union has compiled a report into working conditions at the Rosyth plant, which was published on Tuesday.
They list a number of concerns raised to them by workers and union representatives at the factory.
Mowi workers ‘treated worse than the fish’
BFAWU claims there was a “lack of mitigation to help workers working in cold temperatures” and manual handling practices which could be “resulting in injuries”.
They further highlighted claims of “inadequate” canteen facilities, upset over pay and worker representation.
BFAWU Scottish organiser Mark McHugh said:Â “Through the work we do representing workers and from talking to members it seems too often the health and well-being, physical and mental, is a secondary consideration for the management of Mowi at Rosyth.
“At times it feels like the workers are treated worse than the fish.
“This is contrary to their self congratulatory proclamations about how much they respect human rights.
“We are concerned that basic rights are not applied at their Rosyth plant. No adult should be told when to go to the toilet, if they can go and how long they can go for.
“It is ridiculous and wrong but sadly this is the culture that this report has exposed.
“If there was a functioning and proactive health and safety culture then many of the issues we have raised in the report would have been dealt with, the fact they haven’t been demonstrates how unsatisfactory their approach is.
“The fact is that unionised workplaces are healthier and safer workplaces. And Mowi needs to recognise our union to help improve theirs.
“Our intervention in writing to the company during the writing of this report has resulted in some small improvements and has shown how unions make work safer and healthier, but much more needs to be done at Mowi.
“We have always said to Mowi that as a union we want to engage constructively with them to help make improvements to the terms and conditions of workers at Mowi in Rosyth.
“We believe this will benefit the workforce and indeed the company as a whole. We are as always ready to speak to the company and work with them to improve health and safety at Rosyth. We hope that they do so.”
Mowi refute union claims
The Courier contacted Mowi regarding the trade union’s report.
In a detailed response, they refuted the allegations made by BFAWU, calling them “untrue”.
A Mowi spokesperson said: “At Mowi we take ethical employment, including the safety and wellbeing of our workforce, extremely seriously.
“We undergo regular unannounced audits by independent third parties to verify this.
“As such, we do take issue with the points raised by the BFAWU which are false and misleading.
“Mowi operates standard procedures in a processing plant. With regard to toilet breaks, there is no truth at all in the allegation that these are timed or limited to seven minutes.
“We do require an allocated number of people working on a line at any given time to keep it running. This is the same for any factory running a production line.
“Our compliance and practices are under constant review, checked internally and through regular independent external third-party audits.
“We have robust safety management practices in place.
“All roles and activities are risk-assessed by both qualified Health and Safety professionals and Occupational Health experts, and all advice provided by them is implemented.
“In addition, employees are actively encouraged to raise ideas, suggestions or concerns.
“There are several channels available for them to do this, anonymously if they wish, including a whistleblowing channel run by an independent third-party.
“We also have a health and safety committee which meets each month and is represented by safety reps, adhering to the Health and Safety (Consultation with Employee) Regulations of 1996.
“Safety reps either volunteer or are elected to represent each department.
“There is a safety rep from each department and each shift to ensure the best possible representation of employees’ interests.
“Safety reps report to a safety manager and receive tailored training, designed to help them be effective in their role.
“Safety reps are given paid time to attend the safety committee. Each rep prepares information for each meeting, raising any issues or concerns that they have, or that have been raised to them by anyone on site.”
‘Invested millions’
The response continued: “On a practical level, just as one of many examples, we have invested several millions of pounds into new equipment which reduces the number of repetitive tasks carried out on site — choosing to engineer out risk rather than simply reducing it by asking employees to rotate between tasks.
“With regard to sickness benefit, we go further than statutory sick pay with an enhanced company sick pay (CSP) policy.
“CSP is paid consistently, subject to the individual in question having met our sickness absence rules, which include keeping Mowi informed about the nature and expected duration of the absence. This is standard practice.
“Finally, with regard to wages, making simple pay comparisons to other countries ignores complex differences in cost of living, income tax rates and state benefits.
“Our reward structure is transparent and fair.
“Mowi is supportive of our colleagues’ rights to join a union and to seek collective representation, should they wish.
“While some individuals have decided to join one of many unions available to them, it is not for Mowi to impose a decision on which particular union should represent the workforce and which they should join – that is their choice to make based on who they feel will best represent them, and the nature of our sector means there are several options.
“We continue to listen to feedback from our employees and take our lead from them.
“In the meantime, we will focus on our absolute commitment to creating and sustaining the best possible working environment for all our employees.”
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