By PAUL MILLAR
AN INQUIRY into labour hire was told that Geelong firms were blatantly abusing the system, underpaying or not paying workers and threatening investigators with shotguns.
Industrial Relations Minister Natalie Hutchins was in Geelong yesterday to hear first-hand complaints into rogue companies, sham contractors and the abuse of visas to avoid workplace laws.
The Minister told the Independent that the national average for the use of contract labour was eight per cent, but in Victoria it was 28 per cent.
“That could be even higher in Geelong and we are seeing a rise in the abuse of foreign workers on visas,” she said.
This inquiry will address how the labor hire industry could be better regulated and how the rights of workers could be better protected.
On her visit to Geelong Ms Hutchins was told genuine refugees, who were now permanent residents, were being denied work by unscrupulous operators, who preferred to hire workers on bridging visas and pay them less.
Michael Martinez, the chief executive of Diversitat, said refugees who had now settled in Geelong were being priced out of the market by rogue operators.
“It’s happening in Geelong, especially in the hospitality and tourism industry, it’s rife and how can genuine businesses, who are paying the right wages, compete?” he asked.
The hearing was constantly told that workers who complained about wages and conditions had their hours cut or were just dumped and had little recourse as they were not on the books.
The hearing, to provide information for a discussion paper, was told that a union representative was met by a farmer with a shotgun when he went to a property to investigate the exploitation of workers.
The Geelong meeting was told that chicken farms and fruit picking operations were serious areas of worker exploitation.
It also heard that some workers were being paid $10 an hour, while some employers were acting like gang masters and taking a percentage of wages.
Tim Gooden, the local trades hall secretary, said he had personally been approached by two Afghan refugees, who had been employed in Geelong to work on a ship despite having no maritime experience.
He said they were promised $3000 each for the trip, which was cut short and they had to return to Victoria.
