THE issue of poor pay and conditions for migrant horticultural workers in the region was front and centre at a meeting in Swan Hill late last month.
Australian Workers’ Union (AWU) acting assistant national secretary Stephen Crawford took part in the meeting.
He said cracking down on third-party labour-hire companies’ shoddy practices, and increased industry transparency, were core elements of the Retail Supply Chain Alliance (RSCA) objectives.
The RSCA is a partnership between the AWU, the Transport Workers’ Union and the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees’ Union.
It was a response to widespread exploitation of vulnerable horticulture workers after decades of underpayment and worker abuse.
The alliance went on to enlist the major supermarket chains, shoppers and farmers to raise overall standards across regional Australia.
Mr Crawford said the Swan Hill meeting was a “vital chance” for workers and members of the community to discuss the poor pay and conditions for migrant workers in the region.
“The RSCA’s campaign with the major retailers is putting real pressure on dodgy operators – together we have achieved tremendous results for vulnerable horticultural workers,” Mr Crawford said.
“So far, we have seen the abolition of the exploitative piece-rate system, helped stop the Morrison government’s dangerous ag visa from being introduced across the Asia-Pacific, and successfully argued for fairer wages and deductions.
“This year, the AWU won milestone changes to the horticulture award which saw the Fair Work Commission set a guaranteed minimum rate of pay – $25.41 per hour – for industry workers.”
Swan Hill’s event was the first to be hosted by Woolworths, which signed a memorandum of understanding with the alliance in May.
The understanding called on its partners to work to promote the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals of decent work and gender equality across the industry, in the support of not only fair, but also rewarding work for Australia’s essential horticulture workers.
Mr Crawford said there was still work to be done, with the AWU looking forward to working with its RSCA partners to ensure all farm workers were paid and treated fairly.
“Alliance members understand how hard it is for people in low paying jobs to speak up against their employers,” he said.
“But without them coming forward, unethical employers will continue to get away with criminal exploitation.
“RSCA unions are here to help, to come in and investigate, to prosecute these employers on workers’ behalf and improve pay and conditions.
“We are urging all parts of the industry to join us, to give us more power to police this rogue industry and ensure that all farmers treat their workers fairly.
“If we do that, we will not only help backpackers and seasonal workers, we will also provide far more job opportunities for Australians who right now are avoiding this industry because of its reputation for abuse and underpayment.”
