It makes no sense unless it is a criminal organization profiting off of the abuse.
These people need consequences.
This organization has revenue (budgeted to it).
If they perform poorly, the budget might be lowered next year. More correctly, if they are perceived to perform poorly, their budget drops. But they were in control of the mechanisms by which their performance is perceived.
> These people need consequences.
If you put people (individually or as a group) into an unpleasant circumstance, and demand performance from them at odds with the unpleasantness of the circumstance, you run into a problem. You're no longer able to insist they experience consequences for failure. When you attempt that, if they're allowed to quit, they just quit. And I know you weren't suggesting we press them into slavery.
Consequences only work when they have no leverage.
Let them quit. They were trying to fire them anyway. They shouldn't even have their jobs at this point anyway...they should be in prison.