Testing and full pay for Covid-hit factory

The GMB is claiming victory after food supplier Bakkavor agreed to full pay for staff off work, a deep clean, and a rollout of mass testing at its Tilmanstone salads factory, following a coronavirus outbreak there (see last issue).

The news followed two Covid-related deaths among workers at the factory, where cases rose from around 35 in the third week of November to 99 last week.

Frank Macklin, GMB regional organiser said: "These changes will help save lives and go a long way to making Tilmanstone Salads factory as safe a place as possible to work in during this current crisis.

“Full pay for staff who test positive now means that our members can sleep easy at night, safe in the knowledge that if they do test positive their wage is secure and they won’t have to worry about putting bread on the table.”

https://www.gmb.org.uk/news/bakkavor-covid-outbreak-huge-win-company-agrees-full-pay-absence