STAFF at a Fife seafood factory are treated “worse than the fish” amidst worker health and safety concerns, according to trade union claims.
Mowi salmon processing plant in Rosyth has been criticised by Bakers Food and Allied Workers Union (BFAWU) over a lack of suitable toilet facilities and breaks for almost 1000 staff members.
According to reports from The Courier, BFAWU criticised a lack of toilets at the facility and claimed staff toilet breaks were time limited, with workers having to find cover before taking comfort breaks.
Mowi refuted the claims, calling them “false and misleading” and saying there was “no truth” in claims of a seven-minute toilet time rule that was flagged to the union by staff members.
On Tuesday, a report into working conditions at the factory was published by the union, listing a number of concerns raised to them by workers and union representatives at the Rosyth plant.
BFAWU claimed there was a “lack of mitigation to help workers working in cold temperatures” and manual handling practices which could lead to injuries.
Claims of “inadequate” canteen facilities, poor pay and union representation were also highlighted.
BFAWU Scottish organiser, Mark McHugh, said: “Through the work we do representing workers and from talking to members, it seems to 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 right 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.
“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.”
In response to the claims of sub-par working conditions, Mowi refuted the allegations made by the BFAWU in a statement given to The Courier.
A 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.”
Mowi also emphasised in their statement that all roles are “risk-assessed by both qualified health and safety professionals and occupational health experts”.
The firm said that there are “several channels” available for staff to raise ideas or concerns including a whistleblowing channel managed by a third party.
Other health and safety procedures highlighted by Mowi include the existence of elected safety representatives for different company departments, millions of pounds worth of investments in new safety equipment, company sick pay policies which “go further than statutory sick pay” and a “transparent and fair” reward structure regarding wages.
“Mowi is supportive of our colleagues’ rights to join a union and to seek collective representation, should they wish”, the spokesperson added.
“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.”
