AWU win for Tongan fruit-pickers

Date: 24 June 2009

A group of Tongan fruit pickers, who were left unemployed in northern Victoria by the Timbercorp collapse, have secured better jobs after an AWU campaign to properly enforce the Pacific Seasonal Workers Pilot Scheme.

The AWU Victorian Branch State Secretary Cesar Melhem today said new agreements between the AWU, the Federal Government and All Recruiting Services ensured that the Tongans are employed on a full-time basis at Australian wage rates.

The fruit pickers were stranded around Robinvale in Victoria after their previous employer - Tree Minders - lost income due to the Timbercorp failure this month.

AWU protects vulnerable workers from exploitation

They are now being employed by All Recruiting Services to pick grapes in Mildura in Victoria, and citrus fruit at Mundabbera in Queensland.

" I am pleased that the AWU's persistence in this campaign has paid off and stopped the exploitation of these vulnerable workers.

New contracts comply with original agreement

" Their new contracts comply with the conditions for the Pilot Scheme that were originally agreed between the AWU and the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations," Mr Melhem said today.

" We should learn from the mistakes of the now defunct Tree Minders' agreements, which did not properly guarantee minimum wages and conditions," he said.

Five key criteria

The AWU's main criteria for Pacific Seasonal Workers Scheme agreements are that:

• the work cannot be performed by Australian workers, who have first preference for employment;
• the Pacific Seasonal workers are employed under Australian wage rates, conditions, OH&S and superannuation requirements;
• they are guaranteed at least 30 hours per week of paid work for six months;
• work-required transport and/or transport costs are paid by the employer, and
• accommodation is provided at reasonable cost under Australian standards.

For further information

Contact:	Cesar Melhem, Branch Secretary
Union:	AWU Victoria
WWW:	http://www.awu.net.au/

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