Chilean major port city of the salmon industry experiences crisis due to increase in Covid-19 positive cases

Quellon, in Chiloe, is the municipality with the highest incidence rate of Covid-19 active cases of in the country. Health officials affirm that the «majority focus of contagion» is in the salmon farms and they report that «today that we have 110 cases, 89 are related to the same industry.»

«The companies have taken actions but they are insufficient, the physical distance is not respected by the number of workers per shift, there are many people walking in bathrooms, dressing rooms, casino, there is an agglomeration», says a worker.

Local people demands a temporary closure of the salmon factories, an issue that many now say is too late. Meanwhile, companies have begun to fire workers who have protested and denounced this health and social crisis.

By: Debora Haase, radiodelmar.cl

Chiloe, January 27, 2021. (radiodelmar.cl) – The serious crisis of positive Covid-19 cases in Quellon is due to several factors, some of which are described in the Protection Appeal filed in the Court of Puerto Montt by the mayor against five companies that process salmon in the commune, which was declared inadmissible but with certain indications that must be resolved directly by the health authority.

The legal text denounces the elimination, on December 22, of the Sanitary Cordon established in the Avellanal sector as a control point to enter the Chiloe Archipelago, in which a negative PCR results with a maximum of 72 hours was required; and for residents of the island, carrying out mandatory preventive quarantine.

Besides, the health crisis worsened when positive Covid-19 cases were detected inside the salmon processing plants without proper monitoring of the affected people, where the scarce care and prevention measures have been denounced by the same workers. Irregular situations such as continuing to work while waiting for the results of the exams within the Yadrán or Surproceso companies, evidence these bad practices, to name just a few.

This is why the Municipality, civil society, workers in the salmon industries and health service officials called on the salmon companies to stop their operations for at least 14 days to control the situation and not continue to put the health of the population at risk.

Lack of protection inside salmon factories

Paula Arriagada, leader of union 2 of workers from “Los Fiordos de Quellón” salmon farm, tells about this situation. «The companies have taken measures but they are insufficient, the physical distance is not respected by the number of workers per shift, there are many people walking in bathrooms, dressing rooms, casino, there is an agglomeration. After so much discussion, companies began to do PCR last week”.

In addition, Paula explained about the dismissal of 7 officials due to company needs. Those same officials who in the last week mobilized making «arms down» to protest and denounce the lack of protection that they live inside the processing plants.

The now ex-worker of the Yadrán company, Misael Castillo, also fired for expressing his opinion regarding the fear that officials had to continue working normally despite the pandemic, commented on this same irregular situation, in a meeting with the management of the company. «We are human beings, people who want to have good health to continue generating income for the commune, but they only care about the production of salmon and not the lives of the workers, they are not interested in the health of the workers.»

Castillo also denounces that it was his own colleagues, those assigned to control the temperature inside the plant, who carried out the PCR test and not officials of the health system.

Also, Marcela Silva, president of the Primary Health Care Officials Association of Quellon explained that the commune is experiencing a critical reality, despite the quarantine beginning on January 14, cases have doubled to date. Going from having less than 300 cases to reaching more than 548 today.

«A situation that cannot be explained, understanding that from a health perspective the cases and sources of contagion should have decreased, but today for the third time this week we have had more than 100 new cases a day, which for the commune of 29 thousand inhabitants is too much . Faced with this, we are surprised that the times where we had more than 100 cases, approximately 50% corresponded to the salmon industry and today that we have 110 cases, 89 are related to the same industry, ”Silva said.

A statement signed by health professionals and workers affirms that it is “urgently necessary to close slaughterhouses for 15 days in the different salmon and other industries, since the majority focus of contagion is in them. For this reason, it is requested that Health Authority effectively and permanently supervise the way to protect the health of workers so as not to produce an imminent health collapse.

Agreements between the health authority and businessmen?

Despite the complaints from workers and the death of the first female worker in this export industry two weeks ago due to this virus, the companies have continued to operate normally. The workers denounce that there would be communication between authorities and employers, before the health inspection rounds are carried out.

“Everyone is calling for the industry to stop, but it keeps to turn a deaf ear. The manager of the company said yesterday that if the health authority does not say anything, they will continue working normally. In addition, the problem for all government oversight entities is that they advise what time and on what date they are going to appear and everything changes there because your line manager tells you that you must behave at the height of the visit because otherwise they can call your attention ”, pointed the leader Paula Arriagada.

On this last point, Marcela Silva says that the workers of the health authority are far from the reality of the commune and province. “we believe that regional authorities have no connection with the territory. We also see that when it comes to inspections it is done with great fanfare, so there is a preparation of the industry ”.

The leader of the Health workers called for corporate responsibility to stop production and carry out an effective quarantine with all workers in the industry, due to the large number of positive cases detected and to be detected.

In relation to the dismissals in recent days within the salmon companies Yadrán and Los Fiordos, on Tuesday, January 26, workers went to the municipality of Quellon requesting help.

“The attorney for the municipality is going to advise us legally, this cannot continue like this, it is not right that for expressing your opinion you are fired from your job. The mayor gave us his support and listened to us and legal actions will begin in the next few days against the companies involved, ”said Misael Castillo, a former Yadrán worker.