Essential Workers Are Being Asked To Work Even When COVID Positive
Abattoir employees in South Australia were instructed to come to work if they'd tested positive on a PCR test.
Advocates say National Cabinet will weaken Occupational Health and Safety laws if they force more potentially infectious employees back into the workplace without providing them with free rapid antigen tests.
The Australian Council of Trade Unions claims that employer lobby groups are pushing hard for the changes to be introduced on Thursday, to course correct the lack of accessible RAT kits across the country, and waive businesses the responsibility of handing them out.
“The current conflict over this issue is a result of the Morrison Government’s refusal to make rapid antigen tests free,” said ACTU Secretary Sally McManus. “Employers do not want to pay, leaving the cost to be borne by individual workers.”
It comes as staff at a Teys Australia abattoir in South Australia — which supplies meat products to Woolworths — were told to continue coming to work even if they have COVID on Wednesday.
“This applies even if you have tested positive to COVID-19 either by a PCR or rapid test (RAT), and also if you are currently isolating because you are a close contact,” a memo mandate read on Sunday. “If you have not completed a recent PCR or RAT test, you will be required to complete a RAT test before commencing work.”
At the start of the week, Scott Morrison announced people in the food distribution industry would be next to receive the exemption for asymptomatic close contacts to return to work. It’s an attempt to grapple with stores bearing empty shelves, aligning with the policies already in place in the emergency service, health, and aged care sectors.
My local Coles in Townsville is out of meat. A checkout worker told me staff, including trainees, have copped “disgusting abuse” from angry shoppers livid about the low stock. Can’t we do better by these workers? It ain’t their fault. pic.twitter.com/xHBscZXOmQ
— Siobhan Heanue (@siobhanheanue) January 10, 2022
He said the changes wouldn’t apply for customer-facing roles, instead targeting truck drivers, shelf stackers, distribution centre staff, people who work in abattoirs, and manufacturing and food production roles.
Thursday’s National Cabinet meeting would attempt to expand the exemption to people in transport and logistics, with no mention of whether rapid antigen tests would be provided to employees as well.
“The first priority of any Government should be to keep their citizens safe. We need the tools to achieve this, which are free and accessible rapid antigen tests,” said McManus. “Rapid antigen tests are essential part of keeping workers and the whole community safe, and this is the only way that businesses will be able to stay open and function.”
Photo Credit: Siobhan Heanue/Twitter