Australian supermarket giant admits worker exploitation wrong

Australian supermarket juggernaut Woolworths admitted on Monday that it has a moral obligation to make sure workers from its suppliers are not exploited.

It was revealed last week by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that farm workers from overseas were being underpaid and not given entitlements they deserved under Australian law.

Woolworths said it does not know of any legal obligation to ensure farm workers are not exploited but it does have a moral one.

Appearing before a senate inquiry into Australia's temporary work visa program, Woolworths said it is not up to it to enforce the law.

The head of corporate responsibility at Woolworths, Armineh Mardirossian, was asked whether Woolworths has a legal obligation to make sure conditions and wages are being met.

"We expect that they are met. I'm not a legal expert, so I really can't answer that question," Ms Mardirossian said.

The company's head of trade relations, Ian Dunn, said the company takes some responsibility even if it is not a legal one.

"We would certainly agree that we have a moral responsibility to ensure that suppliers to us first of all understand the conditions on which we're willing to accept supply and to trade with them and then, secondly, to ensure that they're aware that they need to live up to those standards," Dunn said. Endi