NICK
WHIGHAM
MIGRANT
workers paid $3.95 an hour. Working 22 hour shifts. Forced to sleep on dog
beds. And some even perform sexual favours to extend their visa.
These
are the horrific slave-like conditions faced by farm workers on 417 working
holiday visas across Australia.
An
investigation by Four Corners has uncovered the shocking exploitation
of foreign workers that occurs on Australian farms supplying our biggest
supermarkets.
Black
market gangs of contractors are acting as the middle men and supplying workers
to Australian farms and factories where they are routinely underpaid, harassed
and abused while working in low skilled jobs.
Coles,
Woolworths, Aldi, Costco and IGA are all implicated in the allegations, as are
fast food chains KFC and Red Rooster.
“This
is very much a country wide problem” says ABC reporter Caro
Meldrum-Hanna, who led the investigation. “Our entire fresh food chain of
supply is riddled with exploitation,” she toldnews.com.au.
The
national broadcaster is speculating hundreds of millions of dollars in pay that
should go to the workers is going missing every year. But one of the most
insidious allegations uncovered by the investigation is the targeting and
treatment of female workers.
According
to the report, women are being targeted and have been propositioned to perform
sexual favours in exchange for an extension on their visa or merely some time
off work.
The
migrants at the heart of the corruption are incredibly vulnerable, often have
limited English and remain in these jobs out of fear.
“If
they ever speak out or complain, they are sacked or deported” says
Meldrum-Hanna.
She
says in some cases, workers are being forced to carry out shifts that are 22
hours long and are frequently denied bathroom or water breaks. “There are
people who wet their pants and the conveyor belt keeps going,” she says.
In
one case at a Queensland farm, a group of workers featured in tonight’s episode
were forced to sleep in the dog’s bed. In a separate case, a woman who should
have been paid $20.90 an hour was receiving just $3.95.
The
migrant workers suffering this systemic abuse have entered Australia legally on
a 417 working holiday visa which allows them to travel and work for up to six
months at a time.
Australia
has 150,000 of these migrant workers coming through each year, and the industry
is desperately reliant on their labour. But it is the black market contractors
who supply the migrants to the farms who are skimming their wages and enabling
the corrupt system to thrive.
These
contractors operate in two ways. Some have ties with overseas organisations who
promise migrants jobs and connect them with the contractors who are waiting for
them upon arrival.
The
other way in which these workers are targeted is through websites offering work
for 417 visa holders — some of which are so brazen, they actually declare the
work to be black market employment.
“Once
you translate [the websites] to English, the illegality is breathtaking,” says
Meldrum-Hanna.
According
to her, it is the lack of oversight from the immigration department that has
allowed the exploitation and corruption to become so entrenched and commonplace.
The
417 visas are not monitored by the department and Meldrum-Hanna believes the
visa regulations amount to “in-built exploitation” as the government turns a
blind eye.
“There
is no requirement for immigration to keep tabs on them,” she says.
The
migrant workers aren’t the only victims of the corrupt system. The widespread
practices of exploitation are forcing ethical farmers out of the market while
doing irreparable damage to Australia’s global reputation.
“We
will be known as a country that exploits vulnerable people who are looking for
a better chance at life,” said Dr Joanna Howe, a labour law and migration
expert from the University of Adelaide Law School.
“We
would never accept this if it were Australian workers being treated in this
way, but because it’s 417 visa holders and we don’t know them, there’s a lid on
it, we accept that it’s OK,” she told the ABC.
Federal
Member for Hinkler and former cane farmer, Keith Pitt who features in tonight’s
episode, believes the damage to our overseas reputation is already done. When
asked if he thinks Australian shoppers would buy such products if they knew the
horrible working conditions in which they were produced, he said “absolutely
not.”
As
for those farmers who choose not to use contractors, they are being squeezed
out of the market.
Four
Corners journalists spoke to the CEO of one of the country’s largest
potato suppliers who had been dropped by two major supermarkets for cheaper
suppliers using exploited labour.
“They’re
cheating the system. They’re taking it from the little guy, from the people on
the farm and the people in the pack sheds and using that as their competitive
advantage in the marketplace,” Steve Marafioti told Four Corners.
“It’s
not the correct thing. It’s not the right thing. It’s actually changing the
shape of our industry.”
The
problem has been allowed to persist but industry insiders are calling on the supermarket
giants to stop shirking their moral responsibility.
“Supermarkets
need to ensure they’re sourcing from ethical suppliers,” says Meldrum-Hanna.
While
multiple authorities and government agencies such as the Fair Work Ombudsman
and the Department of Immigration are responsible for regulating the system,
they stand accused of turning a blind eye to the criminal practices of labour
hire contractors.
However
the journalist who led the investigation believes the problem can be rectified
with a few simple changes, including greater oversight and the scrapping of the
417 visa.
But
at the moment the extent of the problem remains “breathtaking” and there is
little indication the changes will occur.
The
full investigation can be seen on tonight’s episode of Four
Corners at 8:30pm on ABC 1.
Originally
published as Aussie supermarkets’ shame
Adelaide
Now
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