Coronavirus: Talks between Alberta meat-packing plant Cargill and union continue

Discussions continued between Cargill and its union on Sunday after the union launched legal action to stop the planned reopening of the meat-packing facility.

As of Sunday, Alberta Health said there are 935 cases of COVID-19 among workers at the Cargill plant in High River and 1,538 cases that have been linked to the facility.

The plant was set to reopen Monday with health measures like temperature checks, mandatory face masks and other protective equipment, enhanced sanitizing and increased physical distancing.

But on Friday, United Food and Commercial Workers Union, Local 401 — the union representing Cargill workers — filed legal action to stop the planned reopening.

Both sides have been in mediation since Saturday, and those talks continued Sunday evening.

Cargill said it is not planning on publicly sharing if it will open on Monday, as mediation continues.

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In a statement to Global News, Cargill said that worker safety is its top priority and it is engaging in good faith with the union in the hopes of a meaningful discussion about keeping workers safe.

Cargill said that Alberta Health Services and Occupational Health and Safety have reviewed its safety measures and support its reopening.

“We care about our employees and are working around the clock to keep them safe, deliver food for local families and provide market access for ranchers,” Cargill said.

The union’s leader, Paul Meinema — who appeared on The West Block on Sunday morning — said the group wants to see production slowed down.

“There are other measures in the plant that could be helpful like further social distancing, which would result in probably a line speed reduction, but a consistent, slow production may be better off than running at full speed and risking more breakouts,” he said.

Donations to workers

Meanwhile, a group of Filipino business owners from Edmonton made the trek to High River on Sunday.

They gathered $10,000 worth of food and donations and brought them to the homes of many Filipino workers affected by the spread of the virus in the area.

“We felt their pain because we all know what it’s like to be the new kid on the block, so we banded together and said, ‘Hey, let’s help them out,’” said Peter Codizal with the Philippine Business Society of Alberta.

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