The Denmark Model For Meat Plant Workers

Denmark is currently an outlier in the conditions it gives its meat plant workers (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/sep/30/we-have-to-fight-for-these-conditions-why-danish-meat-plant-workers-are-europes-best-paid). Denmark's meat plant workers are currently the highest paid in Europe. Its workers get about twice the salary of counterparts in Germany and Ireland. Unlike most EU countries and the UK, Denmark's workforce is fully unionised. In the country's largest meat plants, workers are Danish Crown employees. Although the country's meat plants can use workers sourced by agencies and sub-contractors, they are all paid the same wage for doing the same job. There is no competitive advantage to be gained from casualising labour. Denmark's meat plant workers are also given regular shift breaks, as there is a legal requirement to prevent competitive strain injury. This is essential, when a typical slaughterman has to deal with a pig every six seconds (the current rate in one Danish plant is 432 pigs per hour). Competitive strain injury is also minimised in Denmark, by using robots and new technology for heavier tasks. In addition, the country's meat plant workers receive pensions, generous maternity leave, sick pay and 5 weeks holiday annually. It sounds like a model that should be adopted across the entire sector in the EU. It isn't. In the 'race to the bottom' to supply cheap meat, Denmark is actually losing meat plant workers to Germany and other countries. It sounds as if laws need to be changed?