Photo of the week: who pays?

It’s hard to believe some supermarkets still source their products from factories that underpay their workers and subject them to horrifying working conditions.

Mercy (not pictured), is one of 500,000 women processing cashew nuts for a living in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, India. These women often suffer from dermatitis, blistering and skin discolouration from shelling nuts.

“I get headaches; I get dizziness and vomiting from breathing in the smoke” says Mercy

Such is the intense competition faced by cashew factories because of price cuts and buying pressures from some British supermarkets that many factories now operate illegally to avoid offering workers basic benefits such as welfare insurance and maternity leave.

Many women end up ill and suffering permanent damage because of their work. Oil released during the shelling process is highly caustic, but often, workers are not provided with any protective gear and consequently, use their bare hands. In addition, the corrosive oil and acrid smoke released by the roasting process causes a high level of respiratory illness.

In Kanyakumari ActionAid is supporting a local group in educating women and children on labour standards and encouraging workers to come together to demand minimum wages and decent working conditions.