Revealed: exploitation of meat plant workers rife across UK and Europe

Thousands of outsourced workers on inferior pay and conditions to fulfil demand for cheap meat, Guardian investigation showsRead more: 'The whole system is rotten': life inside Europe's meat industryMeat companies across Europe have been hiring thousands of workers through subcontractors, agencies and bogus co-operatives on inferior pay and conditions, a Guardian investigation has found.Workers, officials and labour experts have described how Europe's ?190bn meat industry has become a global hotspot for outsourced labour, with a floating cohort of workers, many of whom are migrants, with some earning 40% to 50% less than directly employed staff in the same factories.The Guardian has uncovered evidence of a two-tier employment system with workers subjected to sub-standard pay and conditions to fulfil the meat industry's need for a replenishable source of low-paid, hyper-flexible workers. Continue reading...