Government agrees to consult workers about avian flu

The government has agreed that poultry workers at the sharp end of the food processing industry are ideally placed to help prevent the spread of avian flu.

The T&G general union had argued that key workers in processing plants should be involved in monitoring and consulted on preventative measures. And the minister responsible, Ben Bradshaw, has now agreed that the industry should work closely with its workforce to implement measures such as flu jabs or other medically appropriate inoculation.

"Involving our people is a positive move for them but also a significant confidence boost for the consumer," said Chris Kaufman, the T&G's national secretary for food and agriculture. "It means they can be sure production workers have their finger on the pulse of food safety."

Trade unionists at the UK's main poultry processors - Moy Park, Grampian and Bernard Matthews - have been pressing the case for involving front-line workers. The T&G is also represented on the government's Avian Influenza Group, which is co-ordinating the response to the disease.

At present, transmission of avian flu to humans in close contact with birds occurs rarely and only with some strains. However there is concern that a pandemic may occur if the virus mutates. These concerns were compounded by a paper by Tom Jefferson published in medical journal The Lancet in January, which concluded that none of the four flu drugs - Tamiflu, Relenza, amantadine and rimantadine - have been effective for the few avian flu victims who have taken them.

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