Qantas probes prison labour claim
Qantas has said it is “very concerned” at allegations it bought headphones made by inmates at a Chinese prison who were regularly beaten and held in solitary confinement if they did not work hard enough.
The carrier has launched an investigation into the claim and suspended its dealings with Vietnam-based Airphonics.
The company is accused of contracting work to a Chinese company that uses prison labour to fill large orders.
According to reports in the Australian Financial Review, prisoners were paid a monthly wage of eight yuan ($1.40) and subjected to taser attacks if they failed to meet production targets.
One inmate quoted by the AFR said: “It’s a very cruel environment. You wake up every morning wondering if you’re going to survive the day.”
Qantas said it had been assured by its supplier that all the airline’s standards had been met. The use of a third party supplier in China would “go against the verbal and written assurances we’ve had from our supplier that their supply chain process met our standards, including the ethical treatment of workers”, the carrier added.
Qantas told the AFR that it has no relationship with the Chinese firm which is alleged to have used forced labour.
Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au
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