Migrant workers contracted to sites in Saudi Arabia franchised by French retail giant Carrefour were deceived by recruitment agents, made to work excessive hours, denied days off and cheated of their earnings, said Amnesty International.

In the new report, “I would fear going to work”: Labour exploitation at Carrefour sites in Saudi Arabia, the human rights organization also documents how workers were made to live in squalid accommodation and feared being ‘fired’ if they complained or resisted working additional overtime.

The abuses suffered by some of the contracted workers likely amount to forced labour including human trafficking for the purpose of labour exploitation, yet neither Carrefour Group nor its partner Majid Al Futtaim, which operates the franchise in Saudi Arabia, took adequate action to stop them or offer redress to workers….

In response to Amnesty International’s findings, Carrefour Group and Majid Al Futtaim said they have launched an internal investigation into the treatment of migrant workers in their Saudi Arabia facilities, while Carrefour Group has also instructed a third-party audit of its franchise partner’s operations. Majid Al Futtaim detailed steps it has taken to remediate abuses since Amnesty International first alerted it, including moving some workers to new housing…