increase font size
Dairy Workers Union general secretary Chris Flatt fears some factory workers may be lost to the industry because of their anti-vaccination stance.
The dairy industry is facing the prospect of losing some highly skilled staff because they are not fully vaccinated.
Dairy companies around the country are individually going through a risk assessment process and consulting staff on whether or not to mandate vaccinations for staff.
Dairy Workers Union national secretary Chris Flatt told Dairy News he fears that some workers may be lost to the industry because of their anti-vaccination stance.
The union represents 8,500 workers in the industry and Flatt says the key focus of the union is about people's health and safety when they go to work.
He says, like the rest of society, there are conflicting views within the dairy industry workforce on the issues of vaccination.
"What we have heard is that the majority of our members support vaccination. They want to be safe at work and have received double vaccination. But there are those within our union, like in wider society, who don't agree with that and we are trying to support them as well," he says.
Flatt says his union has been heavily involved in the consultation processes on risk assessments with those companies they have collective agreements with. There is only one they don't have an agreement with. He says the process has been fair and they feel thir concerns have been listened to.
He notes that while they may not agree with everything, they accept the fact that companies have the right in law to put in place a vaccination mandate for their staff.
The union has the challenging task of supporting both those who are vaccinated and those who are not. In the case of the latter, Flatt says they are working with these people to see if they can get a vaccination or possibly an exemption, which some companies are offering in certain circumstances - particularly on medical grounds.
"But we also have members who tell us they want to turn up to work and be safe at work and not be around, potentially, those that could spread the virus," he says.
Flatt says there are some tough conversations still to be had before companies make a final decision on how to manage their respective risks around the highly-transmissable Omicron variant. Talks are ongoing in this respect and while it appears that most will mandate vaccinations, Dairy News is aware that at least one company will not,k because of low vaccination rates in its milk catchment area.
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has joined the debate around the proposed sale of Fonterra’s consumer and related businesses, demanding answers from the co-operative around its milk supply deal with the buyer, Lactalis.
OPINION: Farmer shareholders of two of New Zealand's largest co-operatives have an important decision to make this month and what they decide could change the landscape of the dairy and meat sectors in New Zealand.
OPINION: As CEO of the Dairy Board in the 1980s I was fortunate to work with a team of experienced and capable executives who made most of the brand investments that created the international consumer business Fonterra inherited. Soprole in Chile was the largest, but there were more than 20 countries where consumer marketing companies were established and Anchor and other brands were successfully launched.
Fonterra has delivered a fifth straight year of record organic milk price for farmer suppliers.
Fonterra says favourable weather conditions supporting pasture growth is boosting milk production.
Like many manufacturers around the world, European agricultural machinery and tractor manufacturers are currently operating in a difficult market environment. But they are heading to the world’s largest agricultural machinery event in Hanover next month with a degree of cautious optimism.
Established in 2021, the John Deere Technician of the Year Awards champion the important contribution parts and service technicians make to the Australian and New Zealand agriculture, construction and forestry industries.
Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) is calling on farmers from all regions to take part in the final season of the Sheep Poo Study aiming to build a clearer picture of how facial eczema (FE) affects farms across New Zealand.
New Zealand is closer to eradicating bovine TB than ever before, but possums remain a threat, says Beef + Lamb New Zealand.
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has joined the debate around the proposed sale of Fonterra’s consumer and related businesses, demanding answers from the co-operative around its milk supply deal with the buyer, Lactalis.
The ACT Party says media reports that global dairy giant Nestle has withdrawn from the Dairy Methane Action Alliance shows why New Zealand needs to rethink its approach to climate.
OPINION: Dairy industry players are also falling by the wayside as the economic downturn bites around the country.
OPINION: Methane Science Accord, a farmer-led organisation advocating for zero tax on ruminant methane, will be quietly celebrating its first…
