When the Meat Workers Speak Out and Say They Wouldn’t Eat Their Own Product…

You know there’s a problem with the product. Yes, boys ‘n’ girls, I think it’s a great time to consider that vegetarian diet you’ve always thought about doing.  Today, the workers and their union speak out about the grossness of their working habits.  Yep, it includes cutting corners, as long as the quota is made. This tells me that the quota is unreasonable. Let’s tune in, shall we?

Tom Hesse with the United Food and Commercial Workers said the union has heard from employees about problems that could lead to tainted meat.

“Some [workers] are saying to us, ‘No, I wouldn’t eat the product that’s produced in my own workplace’,” said Hesse. “They tell us that management has a general lack of concern for food safety practices.”

What a lovely prelude. Just oozes of comforting thoughts, don’t it?

There were reports that workers didn’t sterilize their knives between cuts and if they did, they couldn’t keep up with the workflow, said Hesse.

Management, he said, turned a blind eye.

Me thinks that management was completely aware, but that quotas must be made, damn the rules of safety, hygiene and cleanliness. Damn striving for pride in having a quality product. 

XL Foods is saying they take full responsibility as they should. However, they are not the only culprits in this drama.  You see, boys ‘n’ girls, XL Foods cut those corners because they were allowed to get away with it.  This is what happens when you cut federal food inspectors, in this case.  The very idea that the private sector can monitor themselves and hold themselves accountable is pure bull-shit. Still think small government is a good idea? 

Oh, and going to the washroom apparently, is not the cleanest of practices.

One man who worked for an industrial company that had a contract with XL Foods told CBC News that he saw an employee go into the washroom wearing his protective gear during one of his trips to the plant.

“Throwing it on the washroom floor in front of all the urinals and relieving himself and then picking up his garments off the floor. Picking up his scabbord with his knives off the floor and then returning to the production facility,” said the man, whose identity the CBC agreed to conceal.

Say it all together, boys ‘n’ girls: EEEWWWWW!!! Yuck!!

I used to work for a catering company in a previous life. When exiting the washroom or re entering the kitchen from where ever else, the supervisor was always over us, making sure we washed our hands before even touching anything.

Former employee Kyle Sailikin, who now operates a butcher shop in rural Saskatchewan, said cleaning equipment would frequently get clogged at the plant, but the company had other concerns.

“Processing came first, all times,” he said. “That was No. 1, was processing. It wasn’t cleaning, it wasn’t safety, it wasn’t the people working there. It was processing.”

What did I tell ya? Volume over quantity.

“[Workers] told us that shortly before the CFIA shut the plant down there was a sewage back up on both the slaughter and process floor,” said Hesse. “That’s obviously a serious issue in terms of food safety.

Sewage back up?  Hmm, preparing food for the masses to eat around sludge.  Ok, as someone who had suffered sewage back-up in her basement, I can speak first hand as to how unhealthy it is.  I got quite sick as a result, just from breathing it in upstairs until the cleaning company came to finally clean it up. I’m surprised the workers breathing in that crap didn’t get sick. Or did they and we just don’t know about it? I am inclined to believe the latter.

“They’re saying that XL is more concerned with the numbers they can produce rather than the safety of the workers or the safety of the product.”

Yep, who needs safety, cleanliness and health when we got numbers!

Needless to say, there is a class action suit happening.  As well there should be. It’s about time these companies, preparing food for the masses to consume, were held to account.

I am thankful I gave up red meat over 20 years ago. However, I do fear that other such unsanitary conditions and worse are happening at other food packaging and processing plants,  outside of meat, are happening. I fear it now more than ever, thanks to the Harpercons and Gerry Ritzy Ritz  and their cuts in food inspectors, as well as that dumb mentality of how corporations can be trusted to regulate themselves.

Needless to say, XL Foods is running away from interviews. Yes, heaven forbid that some journalist who actually takes their work seriously tries to hold these people to account.

Ritzy Ritz and his people had also went a runnin’, cutting their press conference short.  Yes, Ritzy Ritz must go and Thomas Mulcair is right in demanding Ritzy’s resignation.  But, as we all know,  he won’t because he has Stevie Spiteful’s blessing. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if Ritzy became Stevie’s new pet and prized MP for all the damage he’s done.