Supermarket chain Aldi accused of hazing trainees: chaining to posts, wrapping in foil, writing on faces, threatening with rats...

Former trainees at discount chain Aldi Süd say they were wrapped in clingfilm and chained to posts as a punishment for "being cheeky." It is the latest in a string of abuse allegations to appear in a book written by a former manager.

"The foil was so tight I could hardly breathe," said one trainee, who accuses his colleagues of smearing permanent marker over his face in a fraternity-style attempt at an initiation, sanctioned by supervisors.

He did not initially report the incident. "I was scared of being fired right away, as I was still on my trial period," he said. Staff apparently also threatened to lock him in a minus 20-degree freezer if he was cheeky again.

The allegations appear in an updated edition of 'Inside Aldi' by former Aldi Süd manager Andreas Straub.

 Among the allegations featured in the book are accounts of staff being bullied using rats and subjected to 'psychological terror' for speaking up for their rights. Straub accuses other German supermarket chains of similar mistreatment. Full story...

Related posts:

1. Bangladesh garment workers locked in factories and forced to work...
2. Ex-Amazon workers talk of 'horrendous' conditions...
3. Amazon accused of abusing Christmas staff...
4. IKEA: Four executives sacked over store spying...
5. Attention shoppers: store is tracking your cell...
6. Aldi staff 'filmed women shoppers bending over'