Tesco and Sainsbury’s are named among other major supermarkets found to be abusing migrant workers in the UK.

Data from the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre (BHRRC) shows 56 percent of recorded abuses against migrant workers in the UK occurred in supermarket environments.

It includes incidents on shop floors, agriculture, fishing, processing, and packaging.

The data was recorded between December 1, 2022, and November 30, 2023.

It identified ten supermarket chains explicitly linked to abuse in the past year.

They are: Tesco, Lidl, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Co-op, Aldi, Asda, Waitrose, Marks and Spencer, and SPAR.

Cases included instances of racism, wage theft, and threats of unfair dismissal.

BHRRC said supermarkets at the top of supply chains must conduct robust human rights.

This includes due diligence to identify, mitigate, and address risks to their migrant workforce.

The agency notes government failures to protect human rights and consistent reports of worker abuse.

Exploitation was most reported on agriculture and livestock farms…

A Tesco spokesperson told The Guardian: “Protecting human rights in our supply chains is central to how we do business – any form of human rights abuse is unacceptable, and we expect all our suppliers to respect the rights of workers and the communities in which they operate…