Baiada has refuted allegations of exploitation of migrant workers, which aired recently on Four Corners, following an internal review of its work practices.
Baiada said it strongly refutes the allegations on the basis of a review it instigated into the issues raised by the program.
According to the poultry processor, an independent investigation by a national law firm into the practices of contractors engaged at the Adelaide plant site confirmed that there are no substantial compliance failures by contractors to meet their legal obligations to their employees and there is no exploitation of migrant workers.
“Following the Four Corners program we immediately instigated a complete check on all workers at the Adelaide site which reaffirmed all workers are eligible to work and foreign workers have current visas,” the company said.
Baiada said the investigation confirmed that the contractors at the Adelaide site were meeting obligations on award payments to employees, taxation, superannuation, and workers compensation registration.
“Based on the findings of the independent investigation and our own checks, the allegations in the Four Corners program have no foundation and we strongly refute the allegations,” the company said in a statement.
The Four Corners program detailed a number of abuses of the working holiday visa, including underpayment and slave-like conditions, and this week, Aussie Farmers Direct said it had decided to stop buying Lilydale Free Range chicken on the basis of the claims.
The online retailer said that when it asked Baiada for its side of the story, it did not “address the key allegations to our satisfaction”.
