Major supermarkets investigating worker claims of 'slave' conditions at major flower supplier

ABC News
May 11 2018



The country's three biggest supermarket chains have said they will investigate claims made by workers of exploitation and bullying at a major national flower supplier.   
Key points:

    Workers at major flower supplier Lynch Group say they are made to "slave to the bone"
    Woolworths, Coles and Aldi will investigate workers' claims of exploitation and bullying
    Lynch Group CEO says the company takes the workers' claims extremely seriously

Lynch Group is the largest flower wholesaler in the southern hemisphere and supplies flowers to Coles, Woolworths and Aldi stores around the country.

The ABC first revealed claims of "sweatshop" working conditions at the Australian warehouses of Lynch Group in March.

But several current workers at the Melbourne warehouse claim that conditions have worsened in the lead-up to Mother's Day, one of the busiest times of year.   

"It just reminds me way back in the days of a certain brand of runner that was being made by children and they were selling them around the world for $300 a pair," said one worker, John.

    "And it just made me think of that when I think of the way they treat people at Lynch.

"We're all too scared to do anything about it because you'd lose your job and they'd just get somebody else. And they tell you that."
'Someone's going to get killed there soon'

The workers said pressure from management is so great that they are forced to breach workplace health and safety standards just to meet daily demand.      

"You've got forklifts pushing 10 pallets at a time on the floor in the factory at like 20 kilometres per hour. It's ridiculous," said another worker, Michelle.

"Accidents happen, feet get stuck under dock ramps and all sorts of things, you know? Someone's going to get killed there soon."   


Michelle said that while Mother's Day is normally a happy time to spend with family, it is a horrible time of year for workers at Lynch Group warehouses.

"[Managers] threaten to send you home, they yell and abuse you, they cuss at you, there's bullying. It's everything," she said.

    "It's just a rat house. They slave you to the bone, they make you work 20 hour days or more. They just slave you like you're nothing."

The conditions are such that another worker, Susan, said that she has been pushed to her physical limit.

"Recently we were made to move so fast that I actually felt sick, physically sick to my stomach," Susan said.   

"Because it was just 'go, go, go, do this, do that' and you try and keep them happy, but in the end I nearly vomited."


In a statement, a Coles spokesperson said the company would investigate the claims with Lynch Group and encouraged workers in the meantime to contact the Fair Work Ombudsman.

An Aldi Australia spokesperson said they were concerned to hear the allegations, and that Aldi suppliers are "contractually obliged to abide by our social standards in production".


"In light of these allegations we have initiated an investigation into the claims," the spokesperson said.

A Woolworths spokesperson said that while Lynch Group remains a supplier, its "due diligence processes" are ongoing.

Lynch Group chief executive officer Ryan d'Almeida said in a statement that the company took the workers' claims extremely seriously.

"The company is committed to ensuring it has a culture which lives out our values and that every one of our people is treated with the utmost respect," he said

"Any behaviour inconsistent with our values will not be tolerated.

"We have sound policies and procedures in place for employees to raise concerns, including under the protection of complete confidentiality."

In a detailed response from the company, it said a "range of forums exist for employees to raise concerns" and that to date "no evidence has been put to us that support these allegations".