Labour dispute may have claimed Indian's life in Aus

An Indian man, whose partially-burnt body was found in Australia's New South Wales (NSW) state last week, could be the victim of a labour dispute.

There has been a rise in Indian students working as contract labourers in western NSW and there are reports of them being "ripped off", Australian Broadcasting Corporation quoted union organisers as saying.

The 25-year-old victim's body was found at the side of Wilga Road at Willbriggie, near Griffith, on Tuesday last. Police are yet to name the man, but they are in touch with his family in India to help with identification.

Harry Goring of Australian Workers Union said he has heard of unpaid labourers taking matters into their own hands. "Over the last 12 months, there's been two assaults around that area, people endeavouring to retrieve money for labour."

"I'm not saying for a moment that it's this with this man, but there have been a number of fracases in relation to Indian people pursuing certain individuals," he said. Goring said action is needed to ensure legal processes are followed by contractors.

He urged farmers to ensure contractors are legitimate, saying he gets weekly complaints about wages being stolen.

Goring said there has been a huge increase in contract labour, particularly Indian students, and many are being ripped off.

"It's a weekly occurrence. We don't hear about the one and twos that are happening. It only becomes sensational when a large group gets ripped off," he said.