Siptu says it's more urgent than ever to improve working conditions in meat factories now the Brazilian variant has been detected.
The union wants the government to ensure workers aren't left out of pocket if they're required to quarantine in a hotel.
Up to 70 percent of those working in the meat industry are migrant workers, many of them from Brazil and South Africa.
Manufacturing sector organiser Greg Ennis says meatpacking is still risky in a pandemic.