A notable example is 7-Eleven Australia, which faced serious scrutiny following a 2015 investigation that exposed widespread underpayment of international student workers. The issue was systemic: franchise owners often manipulated rosters and records, resulting in staff working long hours while being paid below the legal minimum wage.

Workers were threatened with visa cancellations if they reported the misconduct. The scandal exposed deep flaws in 7-Eleven’s corporate governance and oversight mechanisms. The company faced reputational damage, legal actions, and was required to repay over $150 million in back wages.

This case underscores the critical importance of ethical leadership, regulatory compliance, and the protection of vulnerable labour groups—directly aligning with SDG targets 8.5 and 8.8.

In contrast, Woolworths Group has taken proactive steps to address labour exploitation. In 2019, the company self-reported the underpayment of thousands of salaried staff. Rather than hide the issue, Woolworths launched a thorough internal review and worked closely with the Fair Work Ombudsman.

The company committed to repaying over $500 million in unpaid wages, overhauling payroll systems, improving auditing processes, and publishing progress updates publicly. This transparent response shows ethical accountability and aligns with SDG 8.8, which calls for safe and fair work environments.

Woolworths’ actions reflect how corporations can lead responsibly by admitting failures, making restitution, and setting higher ethical standards within their industry.

Australian Government. (n.d.). Modern Slavery Act. Modern Slavery in Australia. https://www.modernslavery.gov.au/australias-response/laws-and-policies/modern-slavery-act

Australian Human Rights Commission. (n.d.). Modern slavery and human rights. https://humanrights.gov.au/our-work/commission-general/information-commission-suppliers-modern-slavery-and-human-rights

Coates, B., Wiltshire, T., & Reysenbach, T. (2023, May). Short-changed: How to stop the exploitation of migrant workers in Australia. Grattan Institute. https://grattan.edu.au/report/short-changed-how-to-stop-the-exploitation-of-migrant-workers-in-australia/

Fair Work Ombudsman. (2016). 7-Eleven Enforceable Undertaking [Media release]. https://www.fairwork.gov.au/newsroom/media-releases/2016-media-releases/november-2016/20161118-s-and-a-enterprises-litigation

Woolworths Group. (2019). Underpayment of salaried team members [Company statement]. https://www.woolworthsgroup.com.au/au/en/our-newsroom/news-archive/2019/statement-regarding-salaried-team-members.html

8.5: By 2030 achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men, including for young people and persons with disabilities, and equal pay for work of equal value. An example of this would be closing the gap within pay to allow equal pay for both men and women in their respective employments.  This SDG will be the main focus of this report.

8.6: By 2020, substantially reduce the proportion of youth not in employment, education or training. This would entail the support of free TAFE courses and the subsidies of HEX debt.

8.8: protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers, including migrant workers, in particular women migrants, and those in precarious employments. For this SDG making sure factories have adequate OHNS working environments especially those working in laborious job mostly sought after by migrants.

Firstly, individuals or groups of people can wither start or join a campaign to raise awareness on equal pay or strengthen Labor rights, this can include workplace strikes or protest, to be able to spread awareness to the public.

Secondly, individuals or companies as ask or run a pay equity audit for their places of work, this will ensure individuals are taking initiative 2 understand and figure out the different pay gaps within their respective companies.

Provide evidence as to why the solutions are needed.

In the year 2025, many of the higher executive leads are designated to males, ‘work related-characteristics among female executives leads to fewer or no wage differences compared to their male counterparts’ (Maoret,2023) While many of these females work alongside these males, they aren’t being paid for the significant work that they do within these companies.

What is happening now in Australia in terms of strategies to address the ethical issue?

In 2023 a bill supporting the workplace gender equality amendment was approved by parliament stating that employers with 100 or more workers will be published to support transparency toward closing g the gender pay gap. (Media release. 2023) this ensures that companies allow public insight into the working and gender distribution of major companies.

What difference might your solutions have?

The solutions we’ve provided many still help companies of smaller stature and help enforce the parliament bill of publicly announcing their gender equity pay gap.

How might your proposed resolutions be better than what is currently being implemented? 

The current resolution is much better implemented then the proposed one of our group but many smaller companies of 400 and less individuals may not follow these implementations, individuals asking g for a pay audit allows them to take action within their own companies from the inside.

Worker exploitation, including child labor, forced labour, and unsafe working environment, is still a major in global supply chains and directly affected Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 8.5, 8.6, 8.7, and 8.8. Industries that put profit maximization and cost reductions first over moral labour guidelines frequently become the cause of these abuses.

Investigations into the luxury fashion business, for example, have shown serious labor violations. It was discovered that a Dior manufacturer in Milan allowed workers to live in the factory where they produced products with high price tags while putting in long hours in unsafe conditions (Financial Times, 2024). According to Vogue Business (2023), suppliers for the business and other brands in Leicester, UK, were also found to have paid workers less than the minimum wage and to have operated in poor conditions, which resulted in closing of factories and brand exoduses.

In the US, businesses like Wendy's, McDonald's, and Walmart have been under attack for their supply chains' sweatshop-like conditions, which involve unsafe working conditions and low wages (Green America, 2023). Even if these businesses made an agreement to improve labor standards, it is still difficult to make sure agreements across wide-ranging and complex suppliers.

The agricultural industry is also not immune. To show how agricultural enterprises contribute to labor exploitation, the Lockyer Valley farms in Australia were investigated for under paying workers and ignoring legal duties (Courier Mail, 2023). The difficulties in addressing labor exploitation are highlighted by these instances. They raise attention to the need of dedication to labor rules, increased access to supply chains, and corporate responsibility in order to maintain workers' rights around the world.

1. Violations of Human Rights: Child labor and forced labor are examples of clear violations of basic human rights. The International Labour Organization (ILO) reports that 28 million people engaged in forced labor in 2021, with 17.3 million abused in the private sector (ILO, 2022). UNICEF (2021) believes that 160 million children are still employed globally, many of them in unsafe environments.

2. Poverty and economic inequality are sustained by exploitation. Unfairly paid and treated workers are unable to raise their level of life and are stuck in poverty cycles. This goes against SDG 8.5, which calls for decent work and full and productive employment for all.

3. Safety and Medical Risks: Unhealthy environments cause illnesses, injuries, as well as death. The risks are made greater by insufficient security measures and access to healthcare, which goes against SDG 8.8, which places a high value on supporting workers' rights and developing safe working conditions.

4. Reputational Damage and Legal Impacts: Businesses involved in labor abuse risk serious damage to their image, negative consumer feedback, and even legal action. For instance, project rejections and financial difficulties caused by the finding of child labor at Packers Sanitation Services, a business connected to the private equity firm Blackstone (Financial Times, 2024).

2. Conduct regular audits are essential to ensuring companies are complying with labour and employment laws ‘regular audits and internal checks help identify areas of improvement, allowing organisations to make necessary adjustments to ensure statutory compliance’ (MYND,2023)

3. Collaborates with NGO and other organisations allow the enhancement of social impact and community engagement with links back to the first point of corporate social responsibility, ‘The mutual benefits of these collaborations have the potential to drive meaningful change for both businesses and society at large.’ (bluespar,2024)

Individually, the UNSDGs provide a framework for making well-informed choices that advance fairness and sustainability. Businesses that exhibit dedication to these objectives are being favored by consumers and staff more and more, which has an impact on market dynamics and corporate conduct.

In conclusion, incorporating the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into corporate strategy and conforming to ethical standards are not just moral obligations but also competitive benefits in the modern global economy.

Aerni, P., Stavridou, M., & Isabelle  Schluep. (n.d.). Oapen. Transitioning to DECENT WORK AND ECONOMIC GROWTH. https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.12657/50786/9789004462175.pdf;jsessionid=3CCEBAEA14F757A7DA3367B5EFC7D322?sequence=1

Cardozo, D. C. (2023, November 3). Fair Trade Finder apps: 5 options to Find Fair Trade Businesses. EthixMerch. https://ethixmerch.com/blog/fair-trade-finder-apps/#4-ewg-food-scores

Chigbu, B. I., & Nekhwevha, F. (2025, June 7). Exploring the concepts of decent work through the lens of SDG 8: Addressing challenges and inadequacies. Frontiers. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sociology/articles/10.3389/fsoc.2023.1266141/full

Jain, A., Ripa, D., & Torres, L. (2024). Have companies arisen to the challenge of promoting sustainable work? the role of responsible business practices in the context of evolving employment and working conditions. Safety Science, 170, 106364. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2023.106364

Maoret, M., Moreira, S., & Sabanci, H. (2023). Closing the gender pay gap: Analyst coverage, stakeholder attention, and gender differences in executive compensation. Organization Studies, 45(4), 495–521. https://doi.org/10.1177/01708406231200725

OHCHR. Guiding principles on business and human rights . (2011). https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Publications/GuidingPrinciplesBusinessHR_EN.pdf

Peter. (2024, August 22). The mutual benefits of NGO-Company Partnerships. Bluespar. https://www.bluespar.nl/insights/the-mutual-benefits-ngo-company-partnerships/

Progress to close the gender pay gap. Progress to Close the Gender Pay Gap | Ministers’ media centre. (2023, March 30). https://ministers.pmc.gov.au/gallagher/2023/progress-close-gender-pay-gap#:~:text=The%20Workplace%20Gender%20Equality%20Amendment,closing%20the%20gender%20pay%20gap

Right to work and rights in work. The Australian Human Rights Commission. (n.d.). https://humanrights.gov.au/our-work/rights-and-freedoms/right-work-and-rights-work

United Nations. (n.d.). The 17 goals | sustainable development. United Nations. https://sdgs.un.org/goals