Adani refutes foreign workers accusations

Indian coal mining giant Adani (NSE: ADANIET) denied claims it’s cheating the Australian migration system by sneaking in foreign workers, says Australian Mining.

Yesterday The Australian reported that, a company review by Ernst & Young found none of Adani’s foreign workers were properly registered or accredited in the land down under.

Adani, which is building the $10 billion Carmichael project in central Queensland and last year bought the Abbot Point port, has been forced to “review and curtail” its practices after an internal audit raised compliance issues about the visas, qualifications and business methods of overseas recruits amid fears of an Immigration Department probe.

The newspaper also said that most overseas employees were brought on short-stay (456) visas, which allow people to visit for meetings but ban most types of work, as opposed to the right 457 system.

However, a company’s spokesperson told Australian Mining that was not true:

“All employees from overseas that are currently employed in the Australian business are employed under 457 visas,” they said.

“Adani Mining ensures that it is in full compliance with the statutory requirements of the 457 Visa scheme including the remuneration, training and sponsorship obligations.”

In the statement Adani also reinforced previous comments it was not currently pursuing an Enterprise Migration Agreement and was “complying with all statutory obligations”.

Adani is working on the $10 billion Carmichael coal project in the Galilee Basin, which will employ about 5,000 workers during construction and it will have a permanent staff of 4,000 employees.