Alstom
In December 2019, the Australian government signed a $1.3 billion contract with Alstom to build and maintain Perth’s next fleet of trains. In March 2020, Alstom was named in ASPI’s report as one of at least 82 global brands whose supply chains were highly likely to contain Uyghur forced labour. ASPI’s research identified KTK Group, a major supplier of train fittings, as part of Alstom’s supply chain.
KTK Group was confirmed to have sourced workers from Xinjiang through the Xinjiang Aid program, and was blacklisted by the US Commerce Department in 2020 for its role in China’s “campaign of repression, mass arbitrary detention, forced labour, and high technology surveillance against Uighurs, Kazakhs and other members of Muslim minority groups”.
Alstom, which has updated its contract with suppliers to include specific modern slavery clauses, directed all queries to the WA Public Transport Authority.
A PTA spokeswoman said the agency had received assurances from Alstom “they are confident in the integrity of their supply chain and the conduct of their suppliers”.
However, human rights experts are questioning whether Australian companies are able to appropriately determine the veracity of KTK’s claims given the lack of transparency in Xinjiang.