Labour trafficking and forced labour are global problems that face all countries including Australia.
Organisations as diverse as the Australian Crime Commission and the ACTU have warned of an increase in trafficking in Australia. Slavery and trafficking have been the focus of a recent parliamentary inquiry.
These evil practices can be organised by international crime rings with the complicity of unscrupulous employers so the victims can be subject to serious coercion and danger. As a result most cases are hidden and go unreported.
Australian workers also lose out as forced labour can reduce employment opportunities and erode pay and conditions.
The key to stopping these practices is to expose the criminals behind them and subject them to prosecution. Union members have an important role to play to stamp out these immoral practices.