Fair Work Ombudsman continues investigation into 417 exploitation

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[img2=right]http://www.pomsinoz.com/images/backpackerjob.jpg[/img2]Employers in Cairns have recently been questioned as part of an ongoing national investigation into the exploitation of foreign workers.

 

The Fair Work Ombudsman’s overseas workers team visited the city last week to meet with local hostel managers, employers, unions, chambers and councils as part of a review of the wages and conditions of overseas workers on the 417 Working Holiday Visa.

 

Allegations have been raised with the Ombudsman that some employers and labour hire contractors are exploiting overseas workers when they look for 88 days’ work in regional areas to qualify for a second-year visa.

 

The claims sparked a year-long inquiry into the issue in August, with Cairns a target zone for the review.

“These allegations range from no payment or underpayment of wages, situations where employers are paying third parties to grant the visa of these workers, or the workers undertaking work without pay in exchange for accommodation,” the Ombudsman team’s director Carey Trundle said.

 

She said her team spent two days in Cairns questioning local employers how they advertised for 417 visa-holder employees, whether these positions were paid or unpaid, how wages were calculated and the types of tasks the visa-holders were performing.

 

From 2011-2012 and 2013-2014, complaints from visa-holders to the Ombudsman increased by 165 per cent nationally. In that same time, complaints from 417 visa-holders rose by 382 per cent.

 

Ms Trundle said more than 600 employing entities within a 50km radius of Cairns employed almost 2000 417 visa-holders last financial year who were applying for their second-year visa.

“We recognise Cairns is a very attractive place for young backpackers, and the Fair Work Ombudsman has invested significant resources in ensuring entitlements of overseas workers are protected in Australia,” she said.

 

“Their entitlements are exactly the same as Australian workers, but often we find there’s a vulnerability there because they don’t know about their workplace rights.”