French supermarket chain Carrefour is reviewing how workers are treated at its Saudi franchise, Majid Al Futtaim (MAF), after an Amnesty International report raised concerns about migrant labour abuses.
The report, published this week, accused MAF, which operates Carrefour stores in Saudi Arabia, of exploiting migrant workers from Nepal, India and Pakistan.
Amnesty’s findings were based on interviews with 17 men who worked at Carrefour stores in Riyadh, Dammam and Jeddah between 2021 and 2024.
The report detailed how workers, many employed by third-party labour companies, were subjected to harsh conditions. They were forced to work 60-hour weeks, denied rest days, and unpaid for overtime – all in violation of Saudi labour laws, which cap working hours at 48 per week.
Some workers also said they were misled by recruitment agents and housed in squalid conditions. Amnesty described the treatment as "appalling exploitation and abuse".
“Workers thought they were opening the door to a better life, but instead many were subjected to appalling exploitation and abuse,” said Marta Schaaf, head of Amnesty’s corporate accountability programme. For some, she added, the conditions "likely amount to forced labour, including human trafficking".
Internal investigations
Carrefour said it had engaged with Amnesty earlier this year about the allegations and requested that MAF conduct internal investigations.
While the initial inquiry did not fully confirm the report’s claims, it did reveal issues with housing, work-hour records, and training, for which corrective actions were taken.
The company has also appointed an independent expert to review human rights practices, including those of subcontractors, but the details of this review are still being finalised.
"In order to prevent potential human rights non-compliance situations, we decided to extend our investigations to a wider scope of activities, covering all human rights requirements," Carrefour said in a statement on Monday.
The Saudi Ministry of Human Resources reaffirmed its zero-tolerance policy for labour abuse, stating that all allegations are thoroughly investigated.
"Any form of labour abuse or exploitation is unacceptable," the ministry said, adding that it works closely with the home countries of migrant workers to tackle recruitment abuses.
The ministry did not directly address Amnesty’s claims involving Carrefour.
Saudi incident not isolated
Abuses of migrant workers are not new in Saudi Arabia. In 2020, hundreds of Indian workers sued a Saudi construction company for unpaid wages after being laid off during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Similar cases of unsanitary living conditions and months without pay have been reported across several industries.
MAF, which operates nearly 500 Carrefour stores across 30 countries, including the Middle East, Asia, and Africa, reported a net profit of €690 million on revenues of nearly €9 billion last year. Saudi Arabia is its second-largest market after the UAE.
Amnesty has called on both Carrefour and MAF to take full responsibility for ensuring labour abuses are eliminated from their operations and to prevent future harm to workers.
