A one sided view of the meat sector

The Central Organisation for the Meat Sector (COV) regrets the way in which Investico's investigative journalists portray working in the Dutch meat sector in De Groene Amsterdammer. It's portrayed rather one-sidedly and biased.

General Secretary Richard van der Kruijk: 'We guided Investico through one of our companies and showed everything openly and transparently. We gave detailed answers to all questions. We want to be able to show that Dutch meat is produced with care and attention to quality, food safety and welfare. It is very disappointing that such a flat description of the business processes is then presented. With a few anonymous sources a coloured picture is sketched of working in the sector'.

Working conditions

The work in an industrial slaughterhouse is sometimes heavy and stressful in some areas. Van der Kruijk: 'It's about killing and cutting animals, physically demanding work, repetitive movements. Sometimes a cold environment, a lot of noise and changing working hours. This is not for everyone. It is inherent in the production of meat and nowhere else in the world is this done more carefully.

The sector has an active occupational health and safety policy laid down in an occupational health and safety catalogue, which the social partners in the meat sector jointly implement. Van der Kruijk: 'The sector was one of the first with agreements on a Generation Pact, where older employees from a certain age can work less while retaining salary and pension accrual. We have all discussed such initiatives with Investico, but they are not mentioned in the story.

Migrant workers

Investico pays a lot of attention to migrant workers. According to the General Secretary, these hard working people fulfil an important and valued role in our meat companies. They make it possible for us to supply top products for the Netherlands and abroad every day. This will not change in the near future. Van der Kruijk: 'The free movement of people and services is a pillar of the EU. Migrant workers are not only important for the Netherlands, but also for the economy in the home countries by spending on the income they earn elsewhere, for example in our meat industry.

The COV is aware that there are rogue employment agencies that do not take the rights of migrant workers very seriously. Van der Kruijk: 'Together with the Labour Standardisation Foundation, we are making a maximum effort to tackle these agencies and exclude them from the sector. The meat sector is the only sector in our country where they actively monitor whether temporary employment agencies comply with all laws and regulations and apply the collective labour agreement, and where it is also established that clients only work with certified agencies. The suggestion by the unions that certain temporary employment agencies seek out the borders in conjunction with slaughterhouses is reprehensible and taken from the air.