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A series of inquiries and reports have exposed exploitation in the fruit-picking industry, which is staffed largely by offshore labour including Pacific Islanders and backpackers.
Last week, a report by the McKell Institute, commissioned by the AWU, found some blueberry pickers were being paid as little as $3 an hour, and alleged systematic wage theft by labour hire firms the union says now dominate the industry.
Walton said the industry was rife with problems including physical violence, harassment and passports being taken away from overseas workers.
“It’s become the centrepiece for exploitation in this country,” he said.
He said the minimum pay rate would stop growers ripping off workers by reducing the piece rate when work was easier – something he said he saw on a visit to a blueberry farm.