Details have been revealed of another serious injury to a Talley's worker, at the same time the company was campaigning to soften health and safety laws.
Last night, 3 News revealed a story about a man who suffered from exposure to toxic chemicals.
Now another Talley's worker has come forward with his story.
Alister Doran was treated so badly by his bosses after a workplace accident that he received $12,000 compensation.
Mr Doran's arm will never be the same again. It was sliced open while working on the slaughter board at the Malvern freezing works, which is owned by Talley's.
His bosses failed to rush him for urgent medical treatment, forcing him to get himself to hospital.
"I went to hospital [and] spent three days in hospital getting my arm reconstructed," says Mr Doran. "It's got permanent loss of feeling along the top of my arm and I've lost 40 percent of strength in my arm."
An Employment Relations Authority (ERA) ruling recounts Mr Doran's boss as saying "he was too busy to deal with the matter".
"I have always believed it was a personal issue, the reason why I wasn't given transport," says Mr Doran.
When he took a personal grievance case against the company, they responded by moving him to a lower-ranked role and dropping his pay.
The ERA ruling called it "an element of punishment" and ordered Talley's owners South Pacific Meats to pay Doran $12,000 in lost wages and compensation.
"They treated us all like scum," says Mr Doran.
"I wasn't treated like a human being. I was treated like a number."
Yesterday, 3 News revealed David Brine's exposure to toxic chemicals at the same meat plant.
He and Mr Doran were injured around the time Talley's was lobbying the Government to soften health and safety reforms.
Both men have been helped by the Meat Workers Union, but they're just two of 1284 Talley's workers injured on the job last year.
In fact, over the last three years ACC has paid out $8 million to nearly 5000 Talley's workers.
Talley's again refused to be interviewed, but Sir Peter Talley's son Andrew emailed, dismissing the story as "union propaganda".
Their meat company is in negotiations with the union.
Mr Talley says they're using propaganda and people like 3 News to bring pressure on those negotiations.
Alister Doran Employment Relations Authority ruling
3 News
source: newshub archive
