Agriculture and indirect migrant labour exploitation
Exploitation of migrant workers does not only take place in the global south, it's also an issue in Europe as well, especially in the agriculture industry.
Summary: We often think about the exploitation of migrant labour as something that happens in the "Global South" or if it happens on our back door, it's something that happens at a small scale. But perhaps we need to look harder.
Why this is important: Countries are increasingly allowing impacted litigants to take action in the home domicile of the 'parent company'.
The big theme: Leaving aside for a moment the rights and wrongs from a moral perspective, the exploitation of labour, often called modern slavery, in company supply chains is increasing becoming an important investor issue. Some of this is to do with reputation and brand value, but increasingly, regulation is making companies legally responsible. Which means, for investors, it should be a material element of our investment cases. Why take the risk? Isn't it better that we are proactive in identifying and fixing this.
The details
Summary of a story from the BBC
The town of Campobello di Mazara on the island of Sicily overlooks rows of olive trees blanketing green fields. But a short stroll away is something much darker - a filthy makeshift encampment that resembles a refugee camp. Known as the "ghetto", it is home to hundreds of African migrant farm workers, most of whom are from The Gambia, Senegal and Tunisia.
