NDP leader Rachel Notley chat with a UFCW Local 401 union rep outside of Olymel in Red Deer on Thursday. (Photo submitted)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

“Some of them are terrified"

Union says it’s too early to reopen Olymel, NDP calls for public inquiry

Mar 4, 2021 | 2:46 PM

The union representing more than 1,800 workers at Olymel plant in Red Deer says the facility should not be reopening yet.

Olymel announced Wednesday it would proceed with a gradual reopening starting Thursday after receiving permission from Alberta Health Services.

A COVID-19 outbreak was declared at the pork-processing facility in November and has since been linked to more than 500 total cases. At least three people have died and the union believes a fourth will soon be confirmed.

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UFCW Local 401 President, Thomas Hesse, says plant workers are scared to go back to work.

“Some of them are terrified. There’s a considerable level of anxiety and for many they’re grieving. The employer is expecting them arrive at work and be ready to go, but their hearts are heavy and their consciousness is clouded,” Hesse said Thursday.

“With the combination of grief and fear, it’s too soon. The company has not taken the steps necessary. We expect a whole lot of workers aren’t going to show up at all, and if they do, their attention will be elsewhere.”

Hesse says a series of requests have not been addressed and that Olymel has not done interviews with even one worker.

“I’m not sure how you understand someone’s work, how they feeling, or the safety of the job they do without asking the actual workers themselves.”

The list of requested actions is expansive and includes jointly agreed upon triggers for closing the plant in the event of future outbreaks, pandemic pay premiums of $4 per hour effective immediately, increased focus on air quality in the plant, and various items related to distancing, sanitation and monitoring.

NDP Leader Rachel Notley is calling on the provincial government to conduct a public inquiry into the outbreak.

“We need to get to the bottom of who is responsible for these senseless, tragic deaths,” said Notley. “People with no choice but to continue working in unsafe conditions have gotten sick and died. We need to hold those responsible accountable and develop new practices to prevent tragedies like this in the future.”

The union agrees, with Hesse saying the UCP have gone from, “Alberta shame with Cargill” to “Alberta humiliation” with Olymel.

“The rest of the country is looking at this province where we have very large agriculture industry,” he notes. “It’s an embarrassment and it’s wrong.”

Though calls for public inquiries into outbreaks at Cargill and JBS plants in Alberta last year have gone unheeded, the NDP also wants the UCP government to promise they won’t dole out legislative protection for the companies running these facilities, Olymel included.

“The UCP wants to let these massive, profitable corporations wash their hands of these horrific incidents and, meanwhile, grieving families of lost loved ones will see nothing but more pain and suffering,” Notley said. “This government has a long track record of backing wealthy CEOs and screwing over workers. Enough is enough.”

Sixteen U.S. states have implemented legislation giving some form of immunity to businesses and corporations from liability related to the pandemic, an NDP release states.

According to a UFCW Local 401 statement this week, more than 80 per cent of employees the union spoke with are unsure if the plant is safe, while more than 90 per cent feel Olymel should compensate workers for time missed during the shutdown.

Hesse believes the company is more than equipped financially to do so.

“As we speak, there are workers from Olymel who are very gravely ill. Very clearly and unequivocally, Olymel is on the highest level of probation that you can put a business,” he adds.

“We’ve dispatched a group of specialty union representatives to Red Deer, we’ve been speaking to our activists, every moment of every day, everything that happens there is subject to our scrutiny and we aren’t going away.”