Ombudsman draft raises possible Scientology 'slavery' breach - 2011-09-13
Ombudsman draft raises possible Scientology 'slavery' breach September 13, 2011,
A DRAFT report by the industrial umpire into the Church of Scientology says the group could have potentially breached laws dealing with slavery by underpaying its staff.
A final report by the Fair Work Ombudsman is due for release later this week, but the preliminary report has found some workers were paid as little as $10 a week by the church despite it earning more than $17 million in 2009.
It contains allegations of false imprisonment and forced labour.
"The allegations ... may potentially be a breach of the provisions of the Criminal Code Act 1995 dealing with slavery ... the Fair Work Ombudsman will refer the witnesses' allegations to the relevant authority for further investigation," ABC Television quoted the draft report as saying.
