NZ ag industry working to stamp out labour violators
Investigations by the Labour Inspectorate in the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) has revealed exploitation of migrant workers, who are sometimes paid less than minimum wage.
But supermarkets in Britain and Germany are saying enough is enough, and driven by domestic law such as the British Modern Slavery Act and concerned customers, they are ditching suppliers which cannot prove they are exploitation-free.
As a result New Zealand banks now view breaches of labour law by borrowers as a lending risk as businesses pinged by the Labour Inspectorate risk their customers vanishing overnight.
There's been a rash of high-profile abuses of contract-labour revealed in recent months, with six scandals breaking in May, June and July alone, including in the Kiwifruit, asparagus and vineyard sectors.
Gary Jones from Pipfruit New Zealand, which oversees the Apple and Pear industry, said exporters now have no choice but to meet the Global GAP standards created by UK and EU supermarkets to assure shoppers their groceries weren't tainted by animal cruelty, environmental damage and abuse of workers.
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