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Strawberry pickers working in ‘labour camp’ conditions

Ti Strawberry Farm is being investigated by the Fair Work Ombudsman.

Ti Strawberry Farm is being investigated by the Fair Work Ombudsman. Photo: ABC

Fair Work is investigating claims a strawberry farm in Western Australia is underpaying backpackers for a second time.

Former workers claim they were lucky to be paid $4 an hour and have likened the conditions to a “forced labour camp”.

Ti Strawberry Farm in Bullsbrook was previously investigated, and the operators and an associated labour-hire company voluntarily paid back staff.

But workers have told the ABC’s 7.30 the underpayment continues.

Yun Ji Park worked at the farm in May this year and earned an average of around $200 per week, which she said was barely enough to cover her rent.

“[When I saw my payslip] my heart is broken,” she told 7.30.

“I was angry and I always wanted to quit the job but when I was working there, I couldn’t find another job.”

Like a ‘forced labour camp’

Another former worker, David Fowler, only lasted a week but he described it as being like a “forced labour camp”.

“We were expected to do anything, sort of up to 14-hour days from 8am to 10pm standing in a packing shed constantly staring at strawberries,” he told 7.30.

Tubs of strawberries on Ti Strawberry Farm.

Tubs of strawberries on Ti Strawberry Farm. Photo: ABC

“After a 14-hour shift, you start to ache.”

He said despite the long hours, he only managed to earn around $7 per hour.

“We got paid 15 cents for packing a punnet of strawberries, that 15 cents actually included your super contribution so it was more like 13 and a half cents,” he said.

“To meet the minimum required pay to be on piecework rates, you would have had to pack a punnet of strawberries every 20 seconds.”

Some staff ‘resent having to do farm work’

The farm’s owner declined 7.30‘s request for an interview but sent a video of himself packing strawberries to prove it was possible to earn the minimum wage under the agreement.

In a statement, he said:

“Some people have in the past earned very low rates but these are usually people that come to the farm to complete their regional work requirement to obtain a second year visa. They usually either have no interest towards and sometimes even resent having to do farm work.”

He also said the allegations related to issues from a number of years ago which had since been rectified.

Fair Work investigating

But 7.30 can confirm the Fair Work Ombudsman is investigating the new allegations.

Strawberry pickers on Ti Strawberry Farm, Bullsbrook, WA.

Strawberry pickers on Ti Strawberry Farm, Bullsbrook, WA. Photo: ABC

It also appears the claims against the WA farm are not isolated claims.

Fair Work last year recovered almost $1 million in underpaid wages for backpackers around Australia.

Mr Fowler said that companies underpaying workers were giving Australia a bad name.

“It’s certainly damaging, it’s not what people expect when they come over here,” he said.

“It doesn’t reflect well on Australia as a whole.”

-ABC

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