UNITED KINGDOM
BAT and Imperial fail to get child labour claims struck out

The two big UK tobacco companies have tried to have claims that they are responsible for child labour and the exploitation of Malawian farming families thrown out of court, reports The Guardian.

The case was first brought to attention after the publication of a Guardian investigation which showed children were forced to work in the fields. British American Tobacco (BAT) and Imperial Tobacco both deny the allegations and say the Malawian families could not prove for certain that the tobacco involved ended up in their cigarettes.
According to The Guardian, the companies claim they can trace where their tobacco comes from “down to farm level” and that they monitor conditions on the farms. However, BAT has since admitted that the terminology does not actually mean the tobacco can be traced to individual farmers.
In the high court, Mr Justice Martin Spencer said the companies’ application to strike out the case had been “misconceived”. The judge said that the farmers had not been required to offer proof until the case came to full trial.
In a statement, BAT said it had “a longstanding commitment to respect the human rights of our employees, the people we work with and the communities in which we operate. We will continue to vigorously defend the claims and we are unable to provide further comment while this case continues.”
Martyn Day, a senior partner at Leigh Day who are representing the farmers and their families, said: “It is not surprising that BAT and Imperial tried to get these very serious claims against them thrown out by the court. We are pleased that the court agreed with our clients that they have an arguable case which should be heard by the court.”

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