Thread by @LHreports

Fear, racism and exploitation: In a new investigation @LHreports reveals how pork companies subsidised by Spain and the EU have been responsible for abusive labour practices in the country’s slaughterhouses

In a joint investigation @LHreports with @lamarea_com & @eldiarioes interviewed dozens of current & former employees from Catalunya to Andalucía, union reps, legal experts, doctors & health & safety inspectors to reconstruct live inside the abbattoirs

A former employee of “Le Porc Gourmet” slaughterhouse, owned by Grupo Jorge, one of the biggest conglomerates in Spain’s meat sector, told us of ‘slavery’ conditions migrant workers were submitted to: “I feared for my live and for that of my family”

In 2020 alone Grupo Jorge and its subsidiaries received over €1m in EU subsidies. The same year, Spain’s exploding pork sector received over €32m in indirect and direct funds from the EU according to the Spanish Agrarian Guarantee Fund (FEGA).

Grupo Jorge products from popular Chorizo to Serrano hams are on shelves all over the EU. In 2019, its had sales to European countries of almost half a billion euros

From labour accidents, to threats, workers also told us that racism remains rife: “They tell me to go back to my country practically every week” said one worker, “They see us like animals”. Several workers added that racist comments were usual.

In 2017, meatpackers demonstrated against the exploitative working conditions - where they were forced into fake “self-employed” contracts through “false worker co-operatives”. The demos forced changes to the law in Catalunya, putting an end to this model in most slaughterhouses

But four years on, our investigation reveals a new exploitative workaround that’s been found under a new subcontracting model. Result: slaughterhouses remain among the worst places to work in Spain

As many as 20,000 workers in slaughterhouses are subcontracted by what are called ‘multi-service companies’, that enable employers to evade national collective agreements (labour laws) that cover Spain’s meat sector

This means workers receive wages below the legal minimum, despite working longer days and can be fired without any compensation. Workers told us they live in fear and face intimidation if they try to unionise

The European Federation of Food, Agriculture, and Tourism Trade Unions (EFFAT) says the subcontracting model perpetuates labour abuses.

A doctor said workplace injuries like tendinitis, contusions & deep bruises are commonplace. They handle chemicals & get injured by animals. Safety training is once-a-year, in Spanish, a language many of them don’t speak

“Companies are only worried about numbers” a veterinary formerly working for Grupo Fuertes, another of Spain’s meat giants told us, “employers constantly force workers to produce more.”

Grupo Fuertes owns the El Pozo brand, which supplies 82 countries worldwide

This includes UK supermarkets like @Morrisons. The brand has also received a quality and food safety certification from the @the_brc British Retail Consortium.

El Pozo products are also commercialized in Germany, Belgium, Holland and France, where they are available in supermarkets like @carrefourgroup.

The company also owns Fripozo, a frozen food brand, whose ready-to-cook nuggets and tenders are exported to Italy, France, Belgium, Germany and UK

This is an investigation supported by the Food Systems newsroom of @LHreports. Major contributions by @polpareja @DaniDominguezRo @ana_rox_ @JoseAntonio_BG @bearamalhosilva @fabiolavillamor @ashifa_k @Noemimena10 @LudoHekman

Story from @eldiarioes on the abusive labour practices in Spain’s slaughterhouses by @polpareja
eldiario.es/catalunya/soci…

A culture of fear to keep exploited workers in check, story from @lamarea_com one of our mediapartners for this investigation. lamarea.com/2021/10/14/mie…