Meat

The IUF's European regional organization, EFFAT, organized a conference for union representatives in the meat sector in Berlin on June 19-20, 2012.

The Scottish government set up a taskforce to look at the implications of the proposed closure of the Hall's of Broxburn pork processing plant shortly after Vion Food, citing unsustainable losses reaching GBP 79,000 per day, announced its closure plans on 5 July.

Since May, work stoppages and overtime bans have been in place at JBS Australia's Dinmore beef plant when pay talks between the company and the Australasian Meat Industry Employees Union (AMIEU) broke down.

On August 1, the Commercial Court of Quimper (Brittany) returned a decision on the some 15 takeover bids received since Groupe Doux was placed under judicial administration on June 1. All bids were rejected - including a one from a consortium of companies coordinated by oilseed producer Sofiprotéol - in favour of allowing Doux, associated with its largest creditor, Barclays, time to finalise their recovery plan.

Dutch food company Vion has announced that the Hall's of Broxburn pork plant in West Lothian, Scotland, is at risk of closure, with the loss of 1,700 jobs.

In receivership since June 1st, French poultry giant, Doux, is running out of cash. This bankruptcy affects some 3,600 workers in France as well as 800 contract farmers and 20- 30,000 indirectly-employed persons.

The IUF’s European regional organization, EFFAT, organized a conference for union representatives in the meat sector in Berlin on June 19-20. The 42 delegates from 17 unions in 14 European countries discussed the challenges facing meat workers and their unions and heard about progress made and examples of successful strategies for fighting precarious employment and raising standards for workers in the sector.

Following its disappointing 2011 financial results, Vion undertook a review of its entire business and has now announced cost-cutting measures which will affect operations in Germany, the Netherlands and the UK, resulting in job losses.