Updated June 23, 2015 05:11:51Asian workers in Australia's poultry industry are being encouraged to ...

1. Asian workers told to lodge bogus refugee visas at Baiada
poultry plant; workers afraid to speak out
Updated
June 23, 2015 05:11:51
Asian workers in Australia's poultry industry are being encouraged to lodge bogus refugee visa
applications to extend their stay in Australia.
Malaysian workers at Baiada's poultry plant in Beresfield, near Newcastle, have been charged up to
$3,500 by their labour hire agency to file an application for a protection visa.
When the visa is declined an appeal is lodged and the workers are able to extend their stay by up to
18 months.
The ABC's 7.30 program has seen two such recent applications.
"The agent just introduced that refugee visa that ... [is] more better," one worker, who asked for
anonymity, said.
"You get the right to work and you don't need to pay the student fees.
"He told me just go to the interview and just make some story, some bullshit, that he didn't care, he
just want to postpone and get another bridging visa, renew the visa so that we can continue to go to
work."
Northern NSW Meatworkers Union secretary Grant Courtney described the applications as a scam.
"It's a clear rort ... and clearly companies that are using these sorts of workers are very, very much
aware of it," he said.
Workers made to sign away overtime wage rights
Baiada is Australia's largest poultry processor and was strongly criticised last week for exploiting its
workforce by the Fair Work Ombudsman, through a chain of fly-by-night labour hire contractors.
Last month a Senate inquiry and two state inquiries were launched and a Federal Government
Taskforce established, following revelations on Four Corners of systematic exploitation of foreign
visa workers in Australia's food industry.
Yet when 7.30 visited Baiada's Beresfield plant last fortnight, many of the scams were still evident.
Some employees were working 18 hours a day for as little as $11 an hour.
Many were being charged exorbitant rent by their labour hire company for squalid, crowded
accommodation.

2. "You're looking at two and three-bedroom houses with workers of up to 20 and 30 people who are
living in these houses," Mr Courtney said.
"Honestly, I wouldn't let my dog sleep in half of them."
The union is concerned the poor pay conditions
are now spreading to locally employed
Australian workers.
Australia's largest privately owned labour hire
company, AWX, has been getting Asian recruits
to sign a "Voluntary Agreement to Undertake
Overtime", under which they waive their rights
to be paid extra for working overtime.
The union said this is illegal under the Fair
Work Act.
Employees scared to fight for 'normal worker rights'
Although most foreign workers employed in the meat industry were frightened to be publicly
identified for fear of losing their jobs, Taiwanese graduate Amy Chang decided it was time she spoke
out.
She was employed by AWX and attended a three-week "training" course where she and her
colleagues worked long hours for no pay.
Everyone wants to [fight] that, but everyone [is] scared they [will] lose their job.
Amy Chang, worker
"No one [is] training us," she said.
"It's just one boner ... he's very busy for his job.
"No one [is teaching] us, so we need learn how to use the knife, and we're very scared to hurt
ourselves."
Amy said she loved Australia and the friends she had made here, but the conditions of work for her
and her colleagues had been a shock.

3. "We know Australia is a beautiful country, it's nice and it's fair here," she said.
"We don't want to just come here ... and feel we have a nightmare."
Although she might lose her current job at Wagga's Teys Cargill meatworks, she said somebody had
to speak out.
"It's just normal worker rights," Ms Chang said.
"Everyone wants to [fight] that, but everyone [is] scared they [will] lose their job, but needs someone
to do that."
"So I hope [I've] not got trouble after."
Topics:
work,
community-and-society,
law-crime-and-justice,
business-economics-and-finance,
newcastle-2300,
nsw,
australia
First posted

4. June 22, 2015 19:24:23