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Article

7 May 2015

Author:
Caro Meldrum-Hanna, Ali Russell & Mario Christodoulo, ABC

Australia: Evidence reveals slave-like conditions on farms & factories supplying Australia's supermarkets & fast food chains

"Labour exploitation, slave-like conditions found on farms supplying biggest supermarkets", 7 May 2015

Conclusive evidence of extreme labour exploitation, slave-like conditions and black market labour gangs has been found on farms and in factories supplying Australia's biggest supermarkets and fast food chains.

A Four Corners investigation has revealed the food being picked, packed and processed by exploited workers is being sold to consumers nationwide. The supermarkets involved include Woolworths, Coles, Aldi, IGA and Costco.

Fast food outlets KFC, Red Rooster and Subway are also implicated.

...Migrant workers from Asia and Europe are being routinely abused, harassed and assaulted at work, the Four Corners investigation found. Women are also being targeted sexually, with women being propositioned for sex and asked to perform sexual favours in exchange for visas.

...Four Corners has also found farmers and suppliers who play by the rules and pay workers correctly are being dropped by the supermarkets, who are instead awarding contracts and sourcing food from cheaper suppliers using grossly exploited labour.

...There are calls at a federal level for the supermarkets to stop shirking responsibility by passing accountability back to the suppliers and farmers.

*Sourced by RepRisk due diligence on ESG and business conduct risks, www.reprisk.com.