Latest news with #Woolworths
The Advertiser
3 hours ago
- Business
- The Advertiser
Supermarket giant acts on 'appalling' worker conditions
Migrant workers who have lost limbs or been blinded in Australian workplaces fear they will be deported if they seek medical treatment, an inquiry into modern slavery has been told. Workers under the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme were particularly vulnerable due to their strict visa conditions, which stop them from changing employers, lawyer Joshua Strutt said. "PALM visa holders are one of the most exploited temporary visa holders in Australia," said Mr Strutt, the chief executive of the Immigration Advice and Rights Centre. The PALM scheme allows eligible Australian businesses to hire people from Pacific Island countries and Timor-Leste, usually to work in agriculture and meat processing. The legal service has heard from PALM workers who have been severely injured in workplace accidents, but are too scared to seek medical care. "There's this really huge power imbalance that exists through this system that needs to be fixed," Mr Strutt told the inquiry in Sydney on Monday. The NSW parliamentary inquiry is examining the risks of modern slavery in rural areas, investigating the extent of forced labour, violence, sexual servitude, labour trafficking and wage violations. Supermarket giant Woolworths took on a labour hire company after being told migrant workers in its Queensland supply chain were living in poor conditions. "We did a site inspection and the housing conditions were indeed appalling and unliveable," Woolworths group's human rights general manager Rachel Elliott said. "The workers had raised this with the labour hire provider to no avail." The unnamed labour hire organisation was booted from migrant worker schemes, but there have since been reports of the company attempting to operate in other states, she said. Woolworths conducts 1000 workplace audits in its supply chain each year, revealing about 5000 incidents of non-compliance that range from fire safety issues to underpayment. The underpayments were often the result of labour hire companies failing to pass on entitlements to workers, Ms Elliott said. After audits in NSW over the last two years, Woolworths has worked with suppliers to repay $50,000 in the meat industry and $48,000 in horticulture. Overcrowded accommodation was another pressing issue, with regular reports of 10 people living in one house and paying $170 per bed, Australian Workers' Union organiser Jonathan Cook told the inquiry. "It is a clear and obvious exploitation of farm workers," Mr Cook said. Several agricultural industry bodies cited an independent survey conducted by the Australian National University and the World Bank that found 98 per cent of PALM workers would recommend the scheme to others. But workers were not in a position of power to be open about their conditions, Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees' Association industrial officer Bernard Govind said. "We know migrant workers ... have a visceral fear of speaking up against workplace exploitation for fear of visa cancellation and deportation." The inquiry is due to hold a hearing in Griffith on June 19. Migrant workers who have lost limbs or been blinded in Australian workplaces fear they will be deported if they seek medical treatment, an inquiry into modern slavery has been told. Workers under the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme were particularly vulnerable due to their strict visa conditions, which stop them from changing employers, lawyer Joshua Strutt said. "PALM visa holders are one of the most exploited temporary visa holders in Australia," said Mr Strutt, the chief executive of the Immigration Advice and Rights Centre. The PALM scheme allows eligible Australian businesses to hire people from Pacific Island countries and Timor-Leste, usually to work in agriculture and meat processing. The legal service has heard from PALM workers who have been severely injured in workplace accidents, but are too scared to seek medical care. "There's this really huge power imbalance that exists through this system that needs to be fixed," Mr Strutt told the inquiry in Sydney on Monday. The NSW parliamentary inquiry is examining the risks of modern slavery in rural areas, investigating the extent of forced labour, violence, sexual servitude, labour trafficking and wage violations. Supermarket giant Woolworths took on a labour hire company after being told migrant workers in its Queensland supply chain were living in poor conditions. "We did a site inspection and the housing conditions were indeed appalling and unliveable," Woolworths group's human rights general manager Rachel Elliott said. "The workers had raised this with the labour hire provider to no avail." The unnamed labour hire organisation was booted from migrant worker schemes, but there have since been reports of the company attempting to operate in other states, she said. Woolworths conducts 1000 workplace audits in its supply chain each year, revealing about 5000 incidents of non-compliance that range from fire safety issues to underpayment. The underpayments were often the result of labour hire companies failing to pass on entitlements to workers, Ms Elliott said. After audits in NSW over the last two years, Woolworths has worked with suppliers to repay $50,000 in the meat industry and $48,000 in horticulture. Overcrowded accommodation was another pressing issue, with regular reports of 10 people living in one house and paying $170 per bed, Australian Workers' Union organiser Jonathan Cook told the inquiry. "It is a clear and obvious exploitation of farm workers," Mr Cook said. Several agricultural industry bodies cited an independent survey conducted by the Australian National University and the World Bank that found 98 per cent of PALM workers would recommend the scheme to others. But workers were not in a position of power to be open about their conditions, Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees' Association industrial officer Bernard Govind said. "We know migrant workers ... have a visceral fear of speaking up against workplace exploitation for fear of visa cancellation and deportation." The inquiry is due to hold a hearing in Griffith on June 19. Migrant workers who have lost limbs or been blinded in Australian workplaces fear they will be deported if they seek medical treatment, an inquiry into modern slavery has been told. Workers under the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme were particularly vulnerable due to their strict visa conditions, which stop them from changing employers, lawyer Joshua Strutt said. "PALM visa holders are one of the most exploited temporary visa holders in Australia," said Mr Strutt, the chief executive of the Immigration Advice and Rights Centre. The PALM scheme allows eligible Australian businesses to hire people from Pacific Island countries and Timor-Leste, usually to work in agriculture and meat processing. The legal service has heard from PALM workers who have been severely injured in workplace accidents, but are too scared to seek medical care. "There's this really huge power imbalance that exists through this system that needs to be fixed," Mr Strutt told the inquiry in Sydney on Monday. The NSW parliamentary inquiry is examining the risks of modern slavery in rural areas, investigating the extent of forced labour, violence, sexual servitude, labour trafficking and wage violations. Supermarket giant Woolworths took on a labour hire company after being told migrant workers in its Queensland supply chain were living in poor conditions. "We did a site inspection and the housing conditions were indeed appalling and unliveable," Woolworths group's human rights general manager Rachel Elliott said. "The workers had raised this with the labour hire provider to no avail." The unnamed labour hire organisation was booted from migrant worker schemes, but there have since been reports of the company attempting to operate in other states, she said. Woolworths conducts 1000 workplace audits in its supply chain each year, revealing about 5000 incidents of non-compliance that range from fire safety issues to underpayment. The underpayments were often the result of labour hire companies failing to pass on entitlements to workers, Ms Elliott said. After audits in NSW over the last two years, Woolworths has worked with suppliers to repay $50,000 in the meat industry and $48,000 in horticulture. Overcrowded accommodation was another pressing issue, with regular reports of 10 people living in one house and paying $170 per bed, Australian Workers' Union organiser Jonathan Cook told the inquiry. "It is a clear and obvious exploitation of farm workers," Mr Cook said. Several agricultural industry bodies cited an independent survey conducted by the Australian National University and the World Bank that found 98 per cent of PALM workers would recommend the scheme to others. But workers were not in a position of power to be open about their conditions, Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees' Association industrial officer Bernard Govind said. "We know migrant workers ... have a visceral fear of speaking up against workplace exploitation for fear of visa cancellation and deportation." The inquiry is due to hold a hearing in Griffith on June 19. Migrant workers who have lost limbs or been blinded in Australian workplaces fear they will be deported if they seek medical treatment, an inquiry into modern slavery has been told. Workers under the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme were particularly vulnerable due to their strict visa conditions, which stop them from changing employers, lawyer Joshua Strutt said. "PALM visa holders are one of the most exploited temporary visa holders in Australia," said Mr Strutt, the chief executive of the Immigration Advice and Rights Centre. The PALM scheme allows eligible Australian businesses to hire people from Pacific Island countries and Timor-Leste, usually to work in agriculture and meat processing. The legal service has heard from PALM workers who have been severely injured in workplace accidents, but are too scared to seek medical care. "There's this really huge power imbalance that exists through this system that needs to be fixed," Mr Strutt told the inquiry in Sydney on Monday. The NSW parliamentary inquiry is examining the risks of modern slavery in rural areas, investigating the extent of forced labour, violence, sexual servitude, labour trafficking and wage violations. Supermarket giant Woolworths took on a labour hire company after being told migrant workers in its Queensland supply chain were living in poor conditions. "We did a site inspection and the housing conditions were indeed appalling and unliveable," Woolworths group's human rights general manager Rachel Elliott said. "The workers had raised this with the labour hire provider to no avail." The unnamed labour hire organisation was booted from migrant worker schemes, but there have since been reports of the company attempting to operate in other states, she said. Woolworths conducts 1000 workplace audits in its supply chain each year, revealing about 5000 incidents of non-compliance that range from fire safety issues to underpayment. The underpayments were often the result of labour hire companies failing to pass on entitlements to workers, Ms Elliott said. After audits in NSW over the last two years, Woolworths has worked with suppliers to repay $50,000 in the meat industry and $48,000 in horticulture. Overcrowded accommodation was another pressing issue, with regular reports of 10 people living in one house and paying $170 per bed, Australian Workers' Union organiser Jonathan Cook told the inquiry. "It is a clear and obvious exploitation of farm workers," Mr Cook said. Several agricultural industry bodies cited an independent survey conducted by the Australian National University and the World Bank that found 98 per cent of PALM workers would recommend the scheme to others. But workers were not in a position of power to be open about their conditions, Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees' Association industrial officer Bernard Govind said. "We know migrant workers ... have a visceral fear of speaking up against workplace exploitation for fear of visa cancellation and deportation." The inquiry is due to hold a hearing in Griffith on June 19.
West Australian
3 hours ago
- Business
- West Australian
Supermarket giant acts on 'appalling' worker conditions
Migrant workers who have lost limbs or been blinded in Australian workplaces fear they will be deported if they seek medical treatment, an inquiry into modern slavery has been told. Workers under the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme were particularly vulnerable due to their strict visa conditions, which stop them from changing employers, lawyer Joshua Strutt said. "PALM visa holders are one of the most exploited temporary visa holders in Australia," said Mr Strutt, the chief executive of the Immigration Advice and Rights Centre. The PALM scheme allows eligible Australian businesses to hire people from Pacific Island countries and Timor-Leste, usually to work in agriculture and meat processing. The legal service has heard from PALM workers who have been severely injured in workplace accidents, but are too scared to seek medical care. "There's this really huge power imbalance that exists through this system that needs to be fixed," Mr Strutt told the inquiry in Sydney on Monday. The NSW parliamentary inquiry is examining the risks of modern slavery in rural areas, investigating the extent of forced labour, violence, sexual servitude, labour trafficking and wage violations. Supermarket giant Woolworths took on a labour hire company after being told migrant workers in its Queensland supply chain were living in poor conditions. "We did a site inspection and the housing conditions were indeed appalling and unliveable," Woolworths group's human rights general manager Rachel Elliott said. "The workers had raised this with the labour hire provider to no avail." The unnamed labour hire organisation was booted from migrant worker schemes, but there have since been reports of the company attempting to operate in other states, she said. Woolworths conducts 1000 workplace audits in its supply chain each year, revealing about 5000 incidents of non-compliance that range from fire safety issues to underpayment. The underpayments were often the result of labour hire companies failing to pass on entitlements to workers, Ms Elliott said. After audits in NSW over the last two years, Woolworths has worked with suppliers to repay $50,000 in the meat industry and $48,000 in horticulture. Overcrowded accommodation was another pressing issue, with regular reports of 10 people living in one house and paying $170 per bed, Australian Workers' Union organiser Jonathan Cook told the inquiry. "It is a clear and obvious exploitation of farm workers," Mr Cook said. Several agricultural industry bodies cited an independent survey conducted by the Australian National University and the World Bank that found 98 per cent of PALM workers would recommend the scheme to others. But workers were not in a position of power to be open about their conditions, Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees' Association industrial officer Bernard Govind said. "We know migrant workers ... have a visceral fear of speaking up against workplace exploitation for fear of visa cancellation and deportation." The inquiry is due to hold a hearing in Griffith on June 19.
Perth Now
4 hours ago
- Business
- Perth Now
Supermarket giant acts on 'appalling' worker conditions
Migrant workers who have lost limbs or been blinded in Australian workplaces fear they will be deported if they seek medical treatment, an inquiry into modern slavery has been told. Workers under the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme were particularly vulnerable due to their strict visa conditions, which stop them from changing employers, lawyer Joshua Strutt said. "PALM visa holders are one of the most exploited temporary visa holders in Australia," said Mr Strutt, the chief executive of the Immigration Advice and Rights Centre. The PALM scheme allows eligible Australian businesses to hire people from Pacific Island countries and Timor-Leste, usually to work in agriculture and meat processing. The legal service has heard from PALM workers who have been severely injured in workplace accidents, but are too scared to seek medical care. "There's this really huge power imbalance that exists through this system that needs to be fixed," Mr Strutt told the inquiry in Sydney on Monday. The NSW parliamentary inquiry is examining the risks of modern slavery in rural areas, investigating the extent of forced labour, violence, sexual servitude, labour trafficking and wage violations. Supermarket giant Woolworths took on a labour hire company after being told migrant workers in its Queensland supply chain were living in poor conditions. "We did a site inspection and the housing conditions were indeed appalling and unliveable," Woolworths group's human rights general manager Rachel Elliott said. "The workers had raised this with the labour hire provider to no avail." The unnamed labour hire organisation was booted from migrant worker schemes, but there have since been reports of the company attempting to operate in other states, she said. Woolworths conducts 1000 workplace audits in its supply chain each year, revealing about 5000 incidents of non-compliance that range from fire safety issues to underpayment. The underpayments were often the result of labour hire companies failing to pass on entitlements to workers, Ms Elliott said. After audits in NSW over the last two years, Woolworths has worked with suppliers to repay $50,000 in the meat industry and $48,000 in horticulture. Overcrowded accommodation was another pressing issue, with regular reports of 10 people living in one house and paying $170 per bed, Australian Workers' Union organiser Jonathan Cook told the inquiry. "It is a clear and obvious exploitation of farm workers," Mr Cook said. Several agricultural industry bodies cited an independent survey conducted by the Australian National University and the World Bank that found 98 per cent of PALM workers would recommend the scheme to others. But workers were not in a position of power to be open about their conditions, Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees' Association industrial officer Bernard Govind said. "We know migrant workers ... have a visceral fear of speaking up against workplace exploitation for fear of visa cancellation and deportation." The inquiry is due to hold a hearing in Griffith on June 19.
7NEWS
4 hours ago
- 7NEWS
Taekwondo instructor Kwang Kyung Yoo's phone call to wife after murdering student's mother
A taekwondo instructor who slaughtered an entire family and stole one of their cars rang his wife amid the killings to tell her he had obtained a BMW, court documents reveal. Kwang Kyung Yoo, 50, on Thursday pleaded guilty to the February 2024 murders of his seven-year-old student and the boy's parents, Min Cho, 41, and Steven Cho, 39. Yoo strangled the mother and son at his North Parramatta taekwondo studio before driving her BMW to the family's Baulkham Hills home, where he assaulted and stabbed her husband. Now, new revelations about the horrific slayings have been laid bare as a statement of agreed facts was tendered in Parramatta Local Court last week. While a clear motive for the killings wasn't outlined, the documents reveal Yoo was a serial liar who was obsessed with luxury items, wealth, and social status. According to the documents, the martial arts instructor — who was known as 'Master Lion' to his students – consistently told grandiose mistruths to friends, family, and students about his success, wealth, and academic and sporting credentials. In January 2024, just weeks before the murders, Yoo lied to his wife that he was being given a BMW — the same make as the Cho's car — as a work car from his secondary employer, a local school. He was also captured on CCTV driving into the housing complex where the family lived on five separate occasions in the 11 days leading up to the murders. According to the court documents, the tragic turn of events began when the seven-year-old boy arrived at Lion's Taekwondo and Martial Arts Academy about 4.30pm on February 19 last year ahead of his regular Monday night classes. The boy, who had been attending the school for three years, was taking double classes with Yoo in preparation for his black belt. CCTV footage shows Min arriving at the studio about 6.22pm, after the other parents and students had left. While the boy waited in reception, Min followed Yoo through the classroom to the storeroom, where he strangled her, before dragging her body into the office. After the class with the boy finished just before 8pm, Yoo called his wife to tell her 'the car has arrived'. He then lured the seven-year-old boy into the storeroom and strangled him, according to the facts. At 8.48pm, Yoo drove Min's BMW x5 to the family's Baulkham Hills townhouse, where he broke in and waited for half an hour for Steven to arrive home, before stabbing him repeatedly in the head, neck, and torso with a knife and pair of scissors. The facts state Yoo suffered several stab wounds as Steven fought for his life. Yoo drove back to the studio and collected his phone and Min's apple watch about 11pm, according to the documents. He then called his wife and told her he had been stabbed and agreed to meet her at Westmead Hospital. At the hospital, Yoo was treated for a collapsed lung and told police he had been attacked by three people in North Parramatta Woolworths car park and he had driven himself there in his Toyota Camry. According to the facts, police spoke to Yoo's wife and learned he had told her he had been driving a friend's BMW, which led police to search that vehicle. The facts state police discovered blood inside the BMW, as well as documents for the sale of a multi-million dollar home in Mosman, a false master's degree from Sydney University in his name, and papers in the name of 'Professor Kwang Yoo'. Steven's body was discovered the next day when concerned friends went to the couple's home. They saw an object covered by a blanket and called police. Police then went to the martial arts studio, where they noticed blood on the front steps before finding the bodies of Min and her son inside. The documents reveal Yoo was a prolific liar, who told people that he had competed in the Olympics, that both his parents and wife had died from COVID-19, and that he owned a Lamborghini and a home with views of the Harbour Bridge. He also inspected properties and falsely told agents he was acting on behalf of his wealthy employer or his parents who had a budget of up to $50 million and also attended a car dealership to discuss purchasing a Lamborghini. He also told others, including his wife and sister, that he had achieved a PhD from Macquarie University and Sydney University, however, both institutions had no record of him. Yoo will be sentenced in the NSW Supreme Court later this year.
1News
5 hours ago
- 1News
Aus mushroom cook triple-murder trial enters sixth week
Erin Patterson faces her sixth week on trial for three murders, accused of intentionally serving up a poisonous mushroom dish to her estranged husband's family. The 50-year-old's defence team will continue to question the case's lead investigator on Monday, after he spent four days in the witness box last week. Detective Senior Constable Stephen Eppingstall took the jury through evidence police had gathered from before and after Patterson cooked the meal on July 29, 2023, including her shopping list. Her Woolworths transaction history, from July 23 to July 28, revealed she had bought about 1.7kg of mushrooms in the days before she made the fatal meal. She also bought more than 4kg of fresh and frozen pastry and five beef eye fillet steaks for the individual beef Wellingtons, which the jury was told she had made from a RecipeTin Eats cookbook. ADVERTISEMENT The prosecution showed the jury Patterson's police interview, on the afternoon of August 5, 2023, after a search warrant at her home. She was interviewed the day after two of her lunch guests, Gail Patterson and Heather Wilkinson, had died in hospital while the women's husbands were both still fighting for their lives. "We're trying to understand why you're not that ill," Det Eppingstall said to Patterson, in video of the interview. "But I'm sure you understand too that, like, I've never been in a situation like this before," Patterson said. "And I've been very, very helpful with the health department through the week because I wanted to help that side of things." Erin Patterson (Source: 1News) Patterson then lied to the police, when asked if she owned a food dehydrator she said "no" and "I might've had one years ago". ADVERTISEMENT "When I got the Thermomix I got really excited about, like, making everything from scratch," she said. Her defence team admitted at the beginning of the trial this was a lie, as was her claim to police she had "never" foraged for mushrooms. Patterson has pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder and one of attempted murder, with her lawyers claiming the death cap mushroom-laced meal was a "terrible accident". Her former in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson, 70, and Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson, 66, all died in hospital days after eating the meal made by Patterson at her Leongatha home. Ian Wilkinson survived. The trial before Justice Christopher Beale in the regional Victorian town of Morwell continues.
