Fair Work Ombudsman: Know you rights working in the Horticulture industry

The Fair Work Ombudsman. Know your rights working in the horticulture industry.

Knowing your work rights can be confusing and difficult to navigate at times. Fortunately the Australian Government has made resources available to assist workers and employers alike understand their rights within the workplace.

The Fair Work Ombudsman was founded as part of Australia’s Fair Work Act 2009 and offers free advice and information on the Australian national workplace relations system.  It also investigates workplace complaints and enforces compliance with national workplace laws.

Through the Ombudsman’s website workers and employers can find a plethora of helpful links, in particular a dedicated page for Horticulture Growers and Workers. The core topics that are covered are Pay and Piecework rates, Workplace Health and Safety, Hours of Work & Overtime, Deductions for Accommodation, Transport & Job Finding, Ending Employment and Migrant Workers.

Examples of situations that workers need to be wary of include:

• Being paid in cash with no payslips provided
• An employer not providing timesheets upon request
• Not being paid in a timely manner
• Deductions taken from wages that were not previously agreed upon
• Not being paid penalty rates where appropriate, such as public holidays or overtime
• Being paid piece rates with no Piece Rate Agreement in place
• Not being paid superannuation
• Not having PAYG tax recorded on payslips.

If you have any concerns within your workplace the Fair Work Ombudsman may be able to assist with anything from salary concerns/disputes, workplace harassment/bullying, to basic workers’ entitlements. They can be contacted by phone on 13 13 94 or via their website.  Below are some direct links to useful pages on the website.

Fair Work Ombudsman Home Page
https://www.fairwork.gov.au/

For Growers & Workers
https://www.fairwork.gov.au/horticulture-showcase

Working the Harvest Trail
https://www.fairwork.gov.au/horticulture-showcase/working-the-harvest-trail

Getting Help
https://www.fairwork.gov.au/horticulture-showcase/getting-help

Email a Report to Fair Work via
yourfeedback@fwo.gov.au

For Anonymous Reporting
https://www.fairwork.gov.au/workplace-problems/fixing-a-workplace-problem/anonymous-report