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Fresh produce industry bodies have rejected calls from a union alliance to axe the Working Holiday Visa program. AUSVEG says claims made by the Retail Supply Chain Alliance – made up of the Australian Workers’ Union (AWU), Shop Distributive and Allied Employees Association (SDA) and Transport Workers’ Union (TWU) – that the program rewards exploitation are “ridiculous”.

The alliance said the federal government needs to axe the visa to wipe out widespread worker exploitation, industry lawlessness, improve working conditions and provide more jobs for young people in regional and rural areas.

AWU national secretary Daniel Walton said: “This is an industry that is essentially lawless, totally broken and run by industry cowboys. It needs an overhaul from top to bottom that looks at every policy parameter – visas, worker rights, labour hire, enforcement – the lot.”

The Australian Fresh Produce Alliance (AFPA) said removing backpackers from Australia risks 127,000 jobs, $13 billion in national income and a 60 per cent increase in the price of fruit and vegetables.

AFPA CEO Michael Rogers said: “If the unions have evidence of exploitation of any workers in the horticulture industry, then they should provide this to the Fair Work Ombudsman and any other relevant authority, including the police and Department of Home Affairs.

“Farmers are subject to tight regulation and undertakings to employ people lawfully and ethically. AFPA will not tolerate illegal and unethical treatment of workers”

AUSVEG national public affairs manager Tyson Cattle said the alliance’s claims were “absurd”. “Australia has had a strong reliance on overseas workers for many decades and that was due to the fact Australians had proven that they do not want to work in the sector.

“Growers would love to employ locals, and all farms do, but they simply can’t secure the numbers of workers they need, at many different skill levels, without access to international workers including backpackers.”

The union alliance said with current high levels of unemployment it was impossible to justify the need for temporary overseas labour.

Cattle said AUSVEG was talking to various levels of government to find ways to incentivise local workers into horticulture. “Banning the Working Holiday Maker program would lead to fruit and vegetable shortages in the shops and higher prices, it’s as simple as that.

“It’s unhelpful to anybody for the unions to come out with unrealistic and ridiculous claims. It’s reckless,” he said.

In its submission to the Agriculture Workforce Strategy, the alliance sets out a plan to reform the visa system that it says would see horticultural workers paid a fair wage and end employers’ exploitation of workers.

It says a major cause of exploitation is retailers forcing farmers to accept low cost contracts.

TWU national assistant secretary Nick McIntosh said: “I think most Australians would be horrified to think that their two dollar punnet of blueberries could actually be the result of modern slave labour. It’s time the top of the retail supply chain is held to account for when exploitation occurs.”

SDA national secretary Gerard Dwyer said: “Unions have a crucial role to play in ensuring compliance; we are industry experts and have a national presence. Our alliance shows we can work together to stamp out exploitation. We should have a crack squad of unions and inspectors doing spot checks and shutting down these dodgy operators once and for all.”

Cattle said AUSVEG was a strong supporter of a National Labour Hire Accreditation Scheme, which the federal government committed to at the last election. AUSVEG has also financially supported the Fair Farms program to help better educate employer obligations to growers. AUSVEG was also supportive of the supermarkets Ethical Supply Chain Sourcing programs as a means to stamp out exploitation, he said.

“Industry, government and the fresh produce supply chain have made commitments to improving the sector and are well on our way to doing that.

“Growers need assurances that their labour supply will continue so they can ensure that fresh produce remains on the shelves for all Australians.”

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