Following an investigation conducted by the Thomas Reuters Foundation, some tea plantations certified by Rainforest Alliance and Fairtrade were found to be mistreating their workers. The expose revealed that tea estates had been illegally deducting wages and fees from workers’ paychecks. These deductions meant that some workers were only earning 14 U.S. cents a day. Rainforest Alliance and major tea companies have stated that they are currently investigating the findings of the expose.
See "Exclusive: Tea label giants vow probe after Sri Lanka labor abuse expose", Lisa Fuller, Reuters, March 27, 2019