The federal government plans to crack down on corona infections in several slaughterhouses. Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) and Minister of Labor Hubertus Heil (SPD) announced in the Bundestag that the Corona cabinet would adopt strict regulations next Monday.
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Merkel spoke of “terrifying news” from the meat industry and referred to the often precarious working and living conditions of the employees. Heil said: “We will clear up these conditions.”
In several slaughterhouses – for example in Coesfeld in Westphalia and in Bad Bramstedt in Schleswig-Holstein – corona infections were present in one Plenty of workers have been identified. Working conditions in the industry have become a focus of attention, as has the often overcrowded collective accommodation of the numerous foreign agency workers.
Criticism of contracts for work
“As a society, we cannot continue to watch how people from Central and Eastern Europe are exploited in this society,” said Heil. Subcontracting in the meat industry is the “root of the problem”. The minister therefore campaigned to fundamentally think about the currently widespread construction of contracts. Heil announced a meeting with his Romanian colleague for next week. Germany had to ensure that workers from abroad were also protected.
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In addition, Heil campaigned for nationwide mandatory control rates. Many federal states had saved too much at the responsible authorities to check compliance with the existing occupational safety regulations.
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At a current hour in the Bundestag, opposing positions collided. Jutta Krellmann from the Left called, among other things, for a ban on work contracts, clear rules for accommodation and a minimum wage that is uniform across the industry. The Green Parliamentarian Friedrich Ostendorff campaigned for the closure of companies as long as no minimum clearances and individual accommodation of the workers are guaranteed.
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The AfD Group’s spokesman for agricultural policy, Stephan Protschka, warned, however, that additional bans and conditions could result in the slaughterhouses moving abroad. FDP deputy Carlo Cronenberg also relies on stricter controls instead of new laws: “We have no legislative problem – we have a law enforcement problem.”
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