MIGRANT LABOR – AUSTRALIA

Underpayment rife among migrant workers

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Original article by Tom McIlroy, Michael Read
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 8 : 24-May-23

Research from the Grattan Institute has concluded that up to 16 per cent of recent migrants to Australia are being paid less than the minimum wage. This equates to around 82,000 workers; the research also suggests that up to 42,000 recent migrants are being underpaid by at least $3 an hour. Migrant workers were found to be vulnerable to many forms of exploitation apart from wage underpayment, such as unpaid leave, superannuation and penalty rates, cash-back arrangements, racism and sexual harassment. The Institute has made 27 recommendations to protect workers from exploitation.

CORPORATES
GRATTAN INSTITUTE

Labor defends agricultural visa scheme as farmers brace for minimum wage rise

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Original article by Natasha May
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 27-Apr-22

Labor will make changes to the federal government’s Pacific Australia Labor Mobility scheme if it wins the 21 May election. It will introduce a Pacific Engagement Visa for agricultural workers from the Pacific Islands, which will offer a pathway to permanent residency. Meanwhile, a minimum wage for horticultural workers will take effect from Thursday; Daniel Walton of the Australian Workers’ Union describes it as a "momentous shift" for fruit pickers, saying they have been "routinely and systemically exploited and underpaid" under the piece rate system.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN WORKERS’ UNION-FEDERATION OF INDUSTRIAL, MANUFACTURING AND ENGINEERING EMPLOYEES

200,000 migrant workers to return over seven months

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Original article by Matthew Elmas
The New Daily – Page: Online : 23-Nov-21

Australia will re-open its international borders to overseas students, skilled visa holders and working holiday makers, with Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews expecting that at least 200,000 migrant workers will arrive in Australia by July. Labour market economist Professor Jeff Borland contends that the return of migrant workers will have a "pronounced impact", and he says research shows that migrant workers are positive for the economy. However, he notes that they tend to be concentrated in certain industries, making it hard for existing workers in those sectors to secure better wages.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HOME AFFAIRS

Job ads targeting migrants overwhelmingly offering below the minimum wage

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Original article by Isobel Roe
abc.net au – Page: Online : 14-Dec-20

Unions New South Wales looked at 3,000 job advertisements in foreign languages and aimed at migrant workers and found that 88 per cent were offering below award rates. The rate of job ads offering illegal pay rates has risen over 14 per cent since the start of the pandemic, while Unions NSW’s latest survey found that the construction and cleaning sectors were the worst offenders in terms of paying below the minimum wage. Migrant workers are reluctant to pursue complaints over poor wage rates for fear it could put their visa status at risk.

CORPORATES
UNIONS NSW

Jail for employers exploiting workers

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 7 : 7-Mar-19

The federal goverment has expressed in-principle support for the 22 recommendations made in the report of the Migrant Workers’ Taskforce. The report found that many migrant workers are victims of wage exploitation, and recommended harsher penalties for underpayment. The government is set to announce criminal sanctions for "clear, deliberate and systemic" underpayment of works, despite opposition from employers’ groups. It also intends to establish a national labour-hire registration scheme covering industries where wage exploitation is widespread.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF JOBS AND SMALL BUSINESS, 7-ELEVEN STORES PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Corporate executives set to escape 457 visa changes

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Original article by Patrick Durkin
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 2 : 5-Jun-17

The Australian Government is expected to release a revised list of occupations that are excluded from the 457 visa scheme by the end of June 2017. The CEOs of several listed companies are among those to be affected by the visa reforms, but business groups are confident that the Government will relax the new rules with regard to senior executives. Sectors such as retailing, hospitality, tourism and higher education are also seeking exemptions from the new visa rules.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF IMMIGRATION AND BORDER PROTECTION, AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, GRAINCORP LIMITED – ASX GNC, ORICA LIMITED – ASX ORI, NBN CO LIMITED, KORN/FERRY AUSTRALASIA, AUSTRALIAN MINES AND METALS ASSOCIATION (INCORPORATED), BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, WOODSIDE PETROLEUM LIMITED – ASX WPL, AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IN AUSTRALIA, FRENCH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, MERCER CONSULTING GROUP INCORPORATED, WELLS FARGO AND COMPANY, GM HOLDEN LIMITED, 3M CORPORATION, EUROPCAR, UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY

Business forced to train locals

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 15-Nov-16

Federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten will outline plans aimed at ensuring that employers give priority to hiring and training Australian workers rather than using the 457 visa system to fill labour shortages. Data shows that more than 95,000 temporary foreign workers are currently employed on 457 visas in 20 industries. The Opposition has also signalled that it will closely scrutinise any future free trade agreements to ensure that Australian workers are not disadvantaged.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, TRANS-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP, ASIA-PACIFIC ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION, ONE NATION PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS

Visa amnesty needed for all victims

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Original article by Stephen Clibborn
The Age – Page: 44 : 9-Sep-15

The Australian Government is said to be considering providing an amnesty to foreign students who have been allegedly cheated out of wages by 7-Eleven. While the Government should grant an amnesty to international students, it also needs to take action on the exploitation of all foreign workers by dodgy employers. Data from the Fair Work Ombudsman shows that migrant workers on temporary visas are also being underpaid by employers in many sectors of the economy. Any amnesty should apply to all of these employees.

CORPORATES
7-ELEVEN STORES PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK OMBUDSMAN, UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY