The Australian government and security company G4S are facing multiple lawsuits over the unsafe working conditions to which the employees of the Australia's Manus Island detention center in Papua New Guinea were subjected, media reported Thursday.
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 27th December, 2018) The Australian government and security company G4S are facing multiple lawsuits over the unsafe working conditions to which the employees of the Australia's Manus Island detention center in Papua New Guinea were subjected, media reported Thursday.According to The Guardian newspaper, at least four lawsuits were filed with the Supreme Court of Victoria claiming that the center's staff was not provided with a safe environment while working there.
A former security officer of the center, Gregory Wisely, told The Guardian that during a riot February 2014, he suffered from various traumas, such as brain, neck and spine injuries, and experienced post-traumatic stress disorder. The ex-employee said he was not provided with the necessary protection or equipment.
The security company and the Australian Home Affairs Department declined to comment on the allegations, according to the newspaper.
Earlier in December, The Guardian reported about another former employee of the Manus center, Roderick St George, who had filed a suit claiming he was misinformed about the working conditions at the center, which he described as unsanitary and lacking in security. There were at least three more cases where other employees had made similar accusations, according to the newspaper.
All migrants arriving to Australia without a visa are subject to mandatory detention. The country also uses offshore processing, sending refugees to Nauru or Manus Island while their claims are being reviewed. In late October, Australia officially closed its detention center on Manus Island, cutting electricity as well as food and water supply. However, some 400 migrants refused to leave the facility.
