Australian Workers’ Union (AWU) bosses say they were only on the Coffs Coast for “half an hour” on Wednesday afternoon before they came across a horticulture farm mistreating migrant workers.
“What we saw was appalling standards of living, with 12 people living in a shed,” NSW branch secretary Tony Callinan told the Mid North Coaster. “Multiple people sleeping in the one room on the floor. No real amenities. Disgraceful standards of living.”
According to Callinan, the workers - some who were allegedly sleeping on mouldy mattresses on pallets - were “each being charged $150 a week for the pleasure”.
Putting the pressure on: The union representatives are in town until Saturday with plans to visit Coffs Coast horticulture operations, based on allegations of widespread worker underpayment and substandard conditions.
Alongside the Refugee and Migrant Workers Centre (RMWC), the union hosted a community forum on Wednesday night in Coffs Harbour. The RMWC, launched in May, is funded by the state government to support refugee and migrant workers with free advice on employment and immigration law.
In attendance - alongside more than 150 community members - were dozens of migrant workers seeking legal advice from the RMWC.
The issue: While much of the public discourse around migrant worker mistreatment has centred around the blueberry industry, Callinan said “the problem isn't limited to any particular type of farm”.
“Farm workers are coming here from our island neighbours with the promise of prosperity and are being exploited in slave-like terms. It's a national disgrace.”
Payment problem: By law, casual fruit pickers in NSW should be paid a minimum of $32.18 an hour.
Callinan said his team were hearing from pickers who were being paid “$4 and $5 a bucket” or “$10 to $12 an hour”.
Shifting targets: One former picker, speaking at the forum, claimed the rate offered for a bucket of fruit could also change after it had been picked.
“They might say that today one bucket is $7. After we finish … they say there is too much damage to the fruit, and they need to reduce the rate,” the picker told the forum.
Supporting workers: Isabel Salinas, director of the RMWC, said the organisation has engaged with 3,000 workers on the Mid North Coast since launching and claimed 70 percent had experienced underpayment.
Doesn’t end there: She said “many” migrant farm workers face sexual harassment, health and safety issues and discrimination. Illegal pay deductions are also a common story.
Salinas shared examples of workers being paid $500 per week, before having $300 deducted for accommodation and a further $100 for transport.
She said workers don’t report these incidents as they fear their visas will be cancelled.
What’s next?: Anti-slavery advocates have called for the creation of a licensing scheme and regulator to better manage labour hire firms providing workers to farms, but it remains unclear whether this will progress during the current term of government. A state election is due in mid-March 2027.
The AWU is supportive of a licensing scheme, but reckons more needs to be done now to ensure pickers are being paid correctly.
Union enforcement: This week, the union is targeting farms directly.
Under certain circumstances, union officials have the right to enter a workplace to investigate suspected breaches of the Fair Work Act.
To do so, National Secretary Paul Farrow said the AWU needs details of wrongdoing.
“We have to have the information that there is unsafe work being conducted, people being underpaid, those types of things. Everyone knows it's occurring. We just need people to talk to us.”
Contact for support: Migrant or refugee workers needing advice about their rights at work can contact the RMWC on 1300 513 107 or at [email protected].