Oxfam alleges abuse in UK supermarket supply chains

According to Oxfam, farms and farm workers supplying UK supermarkets are suffering from poverty and human rights abuses.

According to the charity, "continuous" promotion for retailer interests is causing poverty, abuse and discrimination.

The farms that supply supermarkets, including Tesco, Sainsbury and Morrison, added that poor conditions have occurred.

But the British Retail Consortium said retailers were "spearheaded" to improve the lives of millions of people.

Oxfam conducted research in India and Brazil and surveyed workers in five countries.

Workers working at 50 tea plantations in Assam told Oxfam that cholera and typhoid fever are "widely available because of lack of toilets and safe drinking water."

Half of the workers reported low wages and received ration cards from the government, but female employees worked for up to 13 hours of "break through" hours per day.

Tesco, Sainsbury & # 39; s, Morrisons and Aldi all receive tea from their suppliers, while Asda owner Walmart will not confirm or reject it, the charity said.

Oxfam found that of the 79p paid by shoppers for 100g packs of Assam tea in the UK, supermarkets and tea brands received 49p while workers received 3p.

According to a charity, workers in Assam's land earn a living by paying more than 5p of the retail price.

Insecticide prices

Brazil's fruit farm employees said that according to Oxfam, insecticides were used to develop skin conditions without proper protection.

Women from grape, melon and mango farms also said they should rely on government handouts outside of the harvest season.

The farm supplies supermarkets including Lidl and Sainsbury & # 39; s and formerly Tesco and Morrisons, the charity said.

Walmart did not confirm or reject the link again.

Rachel Wilshaw, Oxfam Ethics and Trade Manager, said:

"Supermarkets must make more efforts to end exploitation, pay livelihood wages to all workers, be fair to women, and be more transparent about where they supply their products."

In a separate Oxfam survey of more than 500 workers in the Philippines, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Peru and the United States, three-quarter workers did not receive enough wages to cover basic needs such as food and housing.

More than a third said they were not protected from injury or injury at work and could not rest in the bathroom or drink water when needed.

Oxfam said the abuse of the supermarket supply chain is "fashionable."

Supermarket behavior

But Peter Andrews, director of sustainability at the British Retail Consortium (BRC), said:

"Our members are working hard to resolve the existing injustices and continue to work internationally with NGOs. [non-governmental organisations]"Business groups and governments on this important issue."

Oxfam, meanwhile, ranks the largest supermarkets in its sourcing policy, which is an improvement over last year.

Tesco at the top of the file scored 38{7be40b84a6a43fc4fae13304fce9a2695859798abfc41afd127b9f8b21c5f9c5}.

"For the second year in a row, Tesco has been evaluated by Oxfam to respect human rights in the food supply chain through the largest number of supermarkets in the world," said a Tesco spokesman.

The car is certified by the Rainforest Alliance and said, "We are committed to improving the lives of tea workers and ensuring minimal working conditions."

"We always know there's more to be done, and we're working with NGOs, unions and other groups to improve wages in key agricultural, tea and apparel sectors and to ensure that working conditions are fair."

Spokesman Aldi said, "We are constantly striving to ensure that everyone working in the supply chain is treated fairly and respects human rights.

"We share the value of the Oxfam campaign and talk regularly."