Amnesty International accuses French retail giant Carrefour of “forced labor” in Saudi Arabia, France Inter, AFP and France Médias Monde revealed exclusively on Monday October 21. The accusation relates more specifically to the Saudi franchise Majid Al Futtaim, which “employs between 2,000 and 3,000 people in Saudi Arabia”.
The NGO carried out the investigation for several months (between December 2023 and July 2024), allowing it to affirm that the group’s activities in Saudi Arabia are “marked by insufficient pay and excessive working hours”as well as“a culture of fear among the migrants who work for him”. In total, around fifteen victims, from India, Pakistan and Nepal, were identified, working in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam.
Amnesty International denounces a real system put in place and which begins with the recruitment process. Thus, even before their arrival in Saudi Arabia, these men are forced to pay an average of $1,200 to intermediaries acting as recruiters. To manage to raise this sum, many of them are forced to take on debt at very high rates or “sell land or their family jewels”. Then, once there, their passports are confiscated.
Anne Savinel-Barras, president of Amnesty International France, describes inhumane working conditions on Carrefour sites on France Inter. Former workers tell the NGO that they have done “more than 16 hours of work per day”that their only weekly day of rest was “likely to be cancelled” without being replaced. “They can walk in warehouses up to 20 kilometers per day and not all of their overtime is paid”laments the president of the NGO. Others claim to have been subject to regular threats of dismissal if they complain or refuse to work overtime. “Hosted by labor supply companies”they also talk about unsanitary housing.
The president of Amnesty International France maintains that “the laws in Saudi Arabia are very unprotective”. “There is no possibility of unionizing”she adds. The NGO accuses Carrefour and its Majid Al Futtaim franchise of not having “sufficient procedures to apply due diligence on human rights commensurate with the high risk of serious violations in Saudi Arabia”.
Carrefour tells Amnesty International that it has launched an internal investigation. His franchise Majid Al Futtaim assures to have taken “measures in recent months to remedy the problems raised”particularly through “controls in accommodation provided by subcontracting companies” and the revision of “procedures regarding overtime and prohibition of recruitment fees”.
The distribution giant also promises to take all necessary measures in the event of non-respect of human rights. To shed light on these accusations, an independent expert was therefore appointed. For its part, Amnesty International is demanding the payment of compensation to the victims, reimbursement of recruitment costs, in addition to overtime hours owed to them. The NGO invites the French distribution giant to “strengthen its surveillance in countries where the framework governing work presents additional risks of human rights abuses”.
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