The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Tesco says doing business overseas can be challenging Tesco has launched an inquiry into a report that some of its workers in Malaysia work up to 80 hours a week for as little as 8p (Tk 11.068) an hour, according to a report ran by the influential British newspaper The Daily Telegraph on Sunday.

Migrant workers from Bangladesh told The Daily Telegraph that they paid a labour agent up to £1,500 (Tk 2,07,525) to land a job at one of Tesco's Malaysian stores.

They then find themselves working for between £20 (Tk 2,767) to £50 (Tk 6,917.50) a month after deductions are made to their salary.

"Tesco, a British multinational company of cloths' chain stores having outlets in most parts of the world, said it took the allegations about its contractors very seriously," the newspaper said.

"Doing business in some overseas markets can be challenging as local laws and customs sometimes appear to conflict with the high expectations we have here in the UK and elsewhere in the international community," Tesco said in a statement.

"However, wherever we operate we insist on the highest standards of welfare for workers, both our own and-as in this case-those employed by contractors working for us," the statement continued.

"Whilst we do not believe that they are deliberately seeking to disadvantage their workers, if improvements need to be made we will not hesitate to make them," Tesco added.

The Daily Telegraph said labour agents promised the Bangladeshi workers that they would be paid £180 (Tk 24,903) to £215 (Tk 29,745.25) a month.

But migrant workers in Malaysia rarely earn more than a gross salary of £117 (Tk 16,186.95) a month, the paper reported.