The “Conservative-led government is a friend of industry; the Conservative-led government is a friend of deregulation and the Conservative-led government wants to get rid of my job.”
That was how the situation facing meat inspectors was explained to UNISON’s local government conference this afternoon.
And Scottish members were warned that “the SNP has promised the same approach in Scotland if it wins the independence vote”.
Moving the motion anonymously because of the problems in the industry, the speaker listed the sheer scale of the problems that meat inspectors spot using proper inspections, but these are under threat from a deregulating government.
At the same time, the decreasing number of independent inspectors face bulling, threats and even violence as they work to ensure that meat is safe to eat.
“If you stop looking for something nasty, you start eating it,” he said.
Conference called on the executive to develop campaigning on the issue, including raising public awareness, and also to support an organising and recruitment approach in meat inspection in order to build density and negotiating strength.
