JBS meat plant workers refuse to return to work amid coronavirus concerns
Workers from a meat plant at the centre of a major coronavirus outbreak in Melbourne's west have refused to return to work today amid safety concerns.
About 45 cold store workers from JBS in Brooklyn made the decision to walk off the job just before 5am, when they decided they would not start work.
The coronavirus cluster linked to the abattoir has surged to 71 infections.
Outbreaks in the meat industry have also climbed, with 47 cases connected to the Australian Lamb Company in Colac, 69 cases linked to Bertocchi Smallgoods in Thomastown and 95 cases at Somerville Retail Services in Tottenham.
JBS meat plant in Brooklyn. The Age
United Workers Union Victorian secretary Susie Allison told The Age JBS had failed to properly communicate with staff about safety.
"These workers have been battling through this crisis with almost no support," she said.
"They don't want to have gone through all that only to walk back onto the floor and catch the virus."
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