Workers’ rough end of the pineapple: Fruit pickers paid $9 a day

Visa workers employed on grape and zucchini farms have been paid as little as $9 a day.

A joint study by Unions NSW and the Migrant Workers Centre in Victoria found 78 per cent of horticulture workers said they were underpaid.

Backpackers employed on grape and zucchini farms have been paid as little as $9 a day, and blueberry farm workers paid just $10 per day, a national survey of 1300 horticulture workers has found.

The joint study by Unions NSW and the Migrant Workers Centre in Victoria found 78 per cent of horticulture workers said they were underpaid, with some earning less than $1 an hour.

Under the horticultural and wine industry awards, an employee can agree with their employer to be paid a piecework rate or an hourly rate. Under the piecework rate, earnings are based on the amount picked, packed or pruned.

The survey results indicate that piecework pay is commonly applied in the Australian horticultural industry, with up to 91 per cent of survey participants saying they had been paid by piece rate. Eighty four per cent of respondents were on temporary visas.

The survey found workers were more likely to experience “wage theft” when being paid a piecework rate – 80 per cent were underpaid when getting paid a piece rate while 61 per cent were underpaid when paid an hourly rate.

Piece-rate workers reported, in some instances, earning less than $1 an hour, with 15 per cent paid up to $7 an hour, 29 per cent paid $8 to $11 an hour, 19 per cent paid $12 to $15 an hour and 16 per cent earning $16 to $19 an hour.

Just 11 per cent were paid $20 to $23 an hour. While employers state that piece rates allow workers to earn above the minimum wage, only 2 per cent reported earning $26 or more an hour.

The lowest daily wages were reported by piece-rate workers employed on grape and zucchini farms, earning an average $9 per day, followed by blueberry farm workers on $10 per day, melon farm workers on $18 per day, watermelon farm workers on $21 per day, tomato farm workers on $23 per day, and strawberry farm workers on $24 per day.

Unions NSW secretary Mark Morey said the “toxic reality” was that the overwhelming majority of workers in the horticulture sector were being ripped off.

Migrant Workers Centre director Matt Kunkel said the abuse was compounded by additional layers of exploitation related to transport arrangements and overpriced, unsanitary and overcrowded employer-provided accommodation. “This is a shameful, inhumane and blatantly racist way to treat migrant farm workers,” he said.