Amnesty International has released a report accusing the Saudi Arabian franchise of French supermarket giant Carrefour of exploiting migrant workers. The report alleges that workers recruited from India, Nepal, and Pakistan were misled by recruitment agents, forced to work long hours, denied days off, underpaid, and made to live in poor conditions.
Marta Schaaf, head of Amnesty International’s corporate accountability programme, stated that many workers faced exploitation and abuse, with some conditions amounting to forced labor and human trafficking. Amnesty criticized Carrefour for its inaction, emphasizing its responsibility to prevent labor abuses throughout its operations, including within franchises.
Carrefour responded by acknowledging discussions with Amnesty earlier this year and confirmed that it had asked its Middle East franchisee, Majid Al Futtaim (MAF), to investigate the claims. While Carrefour’s internal probe did not confirm most of Amnesty’s allegations, it did reveal issues related to housing, training, and work hours, prompting corrective actions. Carrefour also stated that it had appointed an external expert to review the human rights situation.
The Saudi Arabian human resources ministry responded to the accusations, emphasizing a zero-tolerance policy for labor abuse and noting that such allegations are fully investigated. However, the ministry did not directly address Amnesty’s claims against Carrefour.
MAF, based in Dubai, operates nearly 500 Carrefour stores across the Middle East, Asia, and Africa, with Saudi Arabia being its second-largest market. The company reported a net profit of around $735 million last year on revenues of $9.4 billion.
