An ABC News investigation, titled Bitter Brew: The Uncomfortable Truth Behind Your Cup of Tea, identified labour and human rights issues in Sri Lankan tea plantations certified by Rainforest Alliance and Fairtrade. The report documented hazardous working conditions, insufficient wages, substandard housing, and instances of child labour.
- An ABC News investigation by reporter Naomi Selvaratnam, titled “Bitter Brew: The uncomfortable truth behind your cup of tea,” highlighted human and labour rights issues within two Sri Lankan tea plantations, including occupational health and safety, insufficient wages, sub-standard housing, and reported instances of child labour. Both plantations were certified by Rainforest Alliance and Fairtrade and supplied tea to global brands including Twinings, Tetley, Dilmah, Lipton, and Yorkshire Tea.
- Selvaratnam visited two tea plantations documenting several working conditions that would be breaches of certification. These included:
- Occupational health and safety issues, including no access to toilets and drinking water while in the field, workers experiencing frequent back pain and headaches
- Insufficient wages to cover basic living expenses coupled with high production targets. Workers described their wages as insufficient to cover basic living expenses including food, resulting in reliance on loans that they then struggled to pay back. One worker stated her children had gone to school without food due to a lack of money
- Historical and current child labour. One worker stated that she began working on the plantation at 13, and another child was seen working in a privately owned garden within the plantation estate
- Housing conditions at one plantation reportedly did not meet certification standards, lacking adequate water and sanitation facilities required for safe and decent living conditions
- Workers also indicated that supervisors restricted their communication with auditors about their working conditions
- Workers on the plantations were from the Malayaga Tamil community, historically brought to Sri Lanka by the British as indentured labourers. According to the report, despite acquiring formal citizenship rights in 2003, the community continues to face societal challenges and marginalization. Specific plantation locations and worker identities were withheld to protect them from retaliation.
- The investigation includes an interview with Roshan Rajadurai, spokesperson for Planters Association of Ceylon, who states that responsibility for addressing workplace issues lies with plantation management, workers, and unions. He further implied that housing standards required by Rainforest Alliance certification exceeded national requirements and that parents bear responsibility for ensuring their children go to school rather than plantation management.
- Under the forthcoming Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), companies using certification schemes and standards will be required to conduct due diligence on the schemes. This has not shifted under the Omnibus proposal.