Latest news with #labourrights
BBC News
13 hours ago
- BBC News
French trial exposes human trafficking among champagne workers
Aged between 16 and 65 at the time, the 48 men and nine women came from Mali, Mauritania, Ivory Coast and Senegal. Many are attending Thursday's trial. "They shouted at us in Russian and crammed us into this broken-down house, with mattresses on the floor," Kanouitié Djakariayou, 44, told La Croix newspaper. "There was no clean water, and the only food was a bowl of rice and rotten sandwiches. "I never thought the people who made champagne would put us up in a place which even animals would not accept." "What we lived through there was truly terrible. We were traumatised by the experience. And we have had no psychological support, because when you have no papers, you have no rights either," Doumbia Mamadou, 45, told the local newspaper L'Union. Tipped off a week later by a local resident, labour inspectors visited the scene and documented conditions which "were a serious breach of the occupants' safety, health and dignity," in the words of state prosecutor Annick Browne. The prosecution says living and eating areas were outside, unprotected from the elements; toilets were filthy; showers were inadequate with only intermittent hot water; and the electrics were a safety hazard. In addition the migrants were working ten hours a day with only 30 minutes for lunch, having been transported to the vineyards squatting in the back of trucks. They had no written contract, and the pay they received bore "no relation to the work performed," according to the prosecution. "The accused had a total disregard for human dignity," said Maxime Cessieux, who represents some of the migrants. The 44 year-old female suspect, named Svetlana G., ran a recruitment agency called Anavim, which specialised in finding labour for the wine industry. The two others were her associates. In addition to the charge of human trafficking, the woman is also accused of undeclared labour, employing foreigners without permits, inadequate pay, and lodging vulnerable people in unfit conditions. All three face jail terms of up to seven years and large fines if they are convicted. The case has raised questions about the extent of worker exploitation in the €6bn (£5.1bn) champagne industry. With every grape having to be picked by hand, producers rely on some 120,000 seasonal labourers every autumn, many of whom are recruited via agencies. In 2023 six grape pickers died from suspected heatstroke during the harvest in the Champagne and Beaujolais regions - and in recent years there have been two other criminal cases in which agents have been found guilty of maltreatment of migrant vendangeurs. Trade unions have said some champagne houses hide behind middlemen, and they want the law changed so that producers can lose the "champagne" label if they are found to have used illegal labour – even indirectly. "It should not be possible to harvest the grapes of champagne using human misery," said Jose Blanco of the CGT union. But the main body representing champagne producers – the Comité Champagne -- said mistreatment of workers happened very rarely and when discovered was immediately stopped. The Comité is represented at the trial as a civil plaintiff, in recognition of the "damage done to the brand" by these "unacceptable practices."
CBC
a day ago
- Business
- CBC
Alberta companies ordered to repay almost $165K to temporary foreign workers
Two Alberta-based companies are appealing Ontario labour ministry decisions that say they charged temporary foreign workers tens of thousands of dollars to be placed in retail jobs at a Canadian Tire. The companies were ordered to repay almost $165,000. Some of the workers were originally from the Philippines but ended up at a Canadian Tire in Etobicoke, Ont. Though they said they each paid up to $7,900 US to an Alberta company to get the position, once they got the jobs, they say they were underpaid and poorly treated. Many of the workers quit and found jobs in Atlantic Canada and other provinces around the country. An employment standards officer from the Ontario Ministry of Labour conducted an investigation following a series of complaints from workers in October 2023. The ministry issued repayment orders on May 14 against Allison Jones Consulting and AJ Immigration Group in eight cases. Both companies share an owner, Allison Jones, and a common address in St. Albert, Alta. "We trust the appeal process and are committed to a fair and accurate resolution based on a complete review of the facts," she wrote. One of the workers who received the recent decision was Rowell Pailan, who previously shared his story with CBC News from his home in Wolfville, N.S. Pailan says he came to Canada in 2023 after being offered a position as a stock clerk supervisor at an Ontario Canadian Tire. However, paystubs he showed CBC News indicated that while he started being paid at the wage in his contract, his wages were later reduced, making it challenging for him to pay his bills and provide for his family in the Philippines. He says he got the position after he paid the fee to Jones' company using money borrowed from family members. The Ontario Labour Ministry's employment standards officer said Jones should repay Pailan $10,655.52 in Canadian dollars, the calculated equivalent of the $7,900 US he paid in 2022, plus a ten per cent administration fee. "I [was] so happy and teary-eyed, because finally I got justice," he said in a phone interview. "Maybe they [were] thinking that they can do whatever they want, because we are eager to come into Canada," Pailan said, adding that he wants to send a message that people should not "take advantage" of temporary foreign workers. "We didn't have any idea about the amount in regards to the immigration fee, or whatever it is to come into Canada." Companies acted together, decision says It's illegal under federal and Ontario law for a recruiter to charge a foreign worker for a job placement; the recruiter is supposed to be paid by the employer. However, it is legal to charge a fee for immigration advice or assistance with immigration paperwork. In the written decision issued to Pailan and reviewed by CBC News, a lawyer for the two companies told the employment standards officer that Allison Jones Consulting and AJ Immigration are "separate and independent" companies, each with their own branding and invoicing. The lawyer told the officer that Allison Jones Consulting charged Canadian Tire for recruiting services, while AJ Immigration Group was a separate entity that provided immigration services to the foreign workers and charged them fees for these services. This did not convince employment standards officer Charles Beauparlant, who concluded the fees were not legal because both companies were related. He found they shared "common management" in the owner, Allison Jones. "It does not change the fact that both businesses functioned as one comprehensive and unified business," Beauparlant wrote in his decision in Pailan's case. Jones' position, according to the lawyer, was that she is the "directing mind" behind the recruitment company, but not the other company as she "does not participate in the day-to-day operation of AJ Immigration." In her email to CBC News, Jones re-stated her position. "We respectfully disagree with the findings and with the characterization of these two companies — Allison Jones Consulting Services Inc. and AJ Immigration Group Inc. — as a 'unified business,' " she wrote. "Each is a distinct legal entity, and both maintain that their respective practices fully comply with applicable legislation." Beauparlant found that evidence like employee emails and information on Jones' two business websites showed both companies were sharing employees and that Jones was the "controlling mind" behind both. He also noted that Jones was described as the leader of both companies in a sentence on the website for Allison Jones Consulting that read: "She has successfully led the companies since inception creating one of Canada's leading recruitment agencies and immigration consultancies." As well, Beauparlant wrote, "having AJ Immigration Group Inc. collect fees through a retainer agreement after each phase of recruitment demonstrates not only their involvement but further confirms that AJ Immigration was assisting in the process of finding the claimant employment." Pailan previously told CBC News that he had to pay in three stages. The officer issued identical orders to both of Jones' companies, but the Ontario Labour Ministry told CBC News the intent was that the companies should repay Pailan "jointly," not twice over. The ministry also fined Allison Jones Consulting $250 for each of the eight cases, totalling $2,000. 'An affront to our entire system' Chris Ramsaroop is an instructor at the University of Toronto and an organizer with Justice for Migrant Workers, which supported Pailan's case. He says it concerns him that workers must be the ones to ensure the process is followed. "There's an expectation that [the workers] need to come forward, rather than the province or the federal government taking steps to protect the interests of workers," he said. "This is an affront to our entire system — this is disgusting." Ramsaroop feels temporary foreign workers like Pailan are in extremely vulnerable positions, and placing the onus on them to pursue the case to the next level when there is an appeal is a high burden. Pailan says he worries that he won't get the money back after an appeal. "That amount is not a joke, it's totally big," he said, adding that he's trying to repay his relatives who lent him the money. Ramsaroop noted that temporary foreign workers are often tied to a single job by virtue of the closed-permit system, which makes their position in Canada vulnerable. "These injustices will continue as a result of a system where we have workers tied to a particular employer," he said. WATCH | Why this professor believes closed permit system should end: HR professor on why closed work permit system should end 8 months ago Duration 2:39 Canadian Tire store still under investigation The Ontario Ministry of Labour confirmed it's also investigating complaints against the Canadian Tire store where the workers were employed, but the case is still open. There is a separate federal investigation underway by Employment and Social Development Canada into that Canadian Tire, but as of early June, it wasn't complete either. The store owner, Ezhil Natarajan, previously told CBC News he "vehemently denies" all the allegations against him. Canadian Tire Corporation made a policy change in the fall of 2024 to prohibit its stores from using recruiters that charge fees to temporary foreign workers. The corporation said it made the decision together with its dealers, who own franchised stores and make their own hiring decisions.
Free Malaysia Today
3 days ago
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
M'sian Bar joins calls for stronger legal protection for domestic workers
The Malaysian Bar said domestic workers should enjoy equal rights and protections as all other categories of workers. PETALING JAYA : The Malaysian Bar has joined growing calls for the government to strengthen legal protections for domestic workers. Bar president Ezri Abdul Wahab said many domestic workers remained exposed to 'systemic vulnerabilities' as they were still excluded from fundamental safeguards provided under Malaysian labour laws. 'Despite the essential nature of their work in supporting households, communities, and the broader economy, many remain unprotected, underpaid, and vulnerable to exploitation and abuse. 'The Malaysian Bar calls for the full legal recognition and protection of domestic workers under Malaysian labour laws, ensuring that they enjoy equal rights and protections as all other categories of workers,' he said. His remarks came in the wake of renewed calls by migrant rights group Tenaganita for standalone legislation to protect domestic workers, following the recent rescue of an abused Indonesian domestic worker. Domestic workers are excluded from key provisions of the Employment Act 1955, leaving them outside the scope of standard labour protections enjoyed by workers in other sectors. Ezri also urged the government to ratify the ILO Domestic Workers Convention 2011 and enact a dedicated law for domestic workers in light of the unique nature of their work in comparison to the formal employment sector. 'The government should standardise employment contracts and issue specific regulations for domestic work,' he said. 'These measures fall within the powers of the human resources minister and do not require parliamentary approval; therefore, they can be implemented without delay,' he added. He also reiterated the Bar's long-standing position that domestic workers must be respected, protected, and empowered through legal recognition and comprehensive reform.
Free Malaysia Today
5 days ago
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Give domestic workers compulsory day off, say groups
The groups said giving domestic workers a weekly off day will protect them from exploitation, confinement, and abuses. KUALA LUMPUR : Several groups have urged the government to mandate a compulsory weekly day off for domestic workers. They say implementing an uninterrupted day off for these workers will protect them from exploitation, confinement, and abuses. The groups include the Association of Nationalist Overseas Filipino Workers in Malaysia (AMMPO), the Indonesian Migrant Domestic Workers Association (Pertimig), the International Domestic Workers Federation (IDWF), and non-profit NGO Our Journey. They said a recent survey by AMMPO, Pertimig, and IDWF showed that nearly all of the participants were deprived of a weekly day off, with nearly half of them working seven days a week. The survey, which covered 108 individuals, also reported that 15% of the workers experienced physical violence, threats, or verbal abuse when they requested a day off. 'We urge the government and employers to take concrete action by enacting a mandatory weekly day off for domestic workers,' the groups said at an event today in conjunction with International Domestic Workers Day, which falls on June 16 each year. They also urged the government to provide domestic workers with the full scope of labour standards afforded to other sectors by removing the exclusion in the First Schedule under the 1955 Employment Act. They said the government should introduce a standard employment contract and ensure that migrant domestic workers are not asked to bear the recruitment costs. Renewed calls were also made for the government to introduce a standalone legislation to protect domestic workers and ratify the ILO Domestic Workers Convention 2011. M Ramachelvam, co-chairman of the Bar Council's Migrants, Refugees and Immigration Affairs Committee, said a separate law for domestic workers should be enacted to cater to the differences between domestic work and the formal sector. He suggested that the government standardise employment contracts and issue regulations for domestic work. 'These are within the powers of the human resources minister without needing to table them in Parliament. This is something the minister should look into immediately,' he said. Ramachelvam urged the government to introduce mechanisms to allow foreign domestic workers to change their employers or sectors. He said the government should also regulate the employment of domestic workers as part-time cleaners to avoid labour rights abuse. Currently, he said, any injury happening at a commercial workplace is not protected by the domestic worker's social security insurance. 'Employers are hiring several domestic workers and sending them out to work as part-time cleaners in several houses, but they should not be exploited this way. There should be regulations on these part-time arrangements,' he said. On June 12, migrant rights group Tenaganita urged the government to introduce a separate domestic workers law following the rescue of an abused Indonesian woman from a house.
Bloomberg
13-06-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Hong Kong Group Tracking China Labor Unrest Abruptly Shuts Down
China Labour Bulletin, a Hong Kong-based group that advocates for workers and tracks social unrest across the country, abruptly announced its dissolution, citing financial reasons. The group has withdrawn from social media platforms and will stop updating its website, according to an archived version of its now-defunct homepage viewed by Bloomberg News. Its Facebook and Instagram accounts were unavailable as of Friday afternoon.
