An unemployed man who says he would be willing to "live out of his car" to get a fruit-picking job is calling for the industry to be more open-mindedScott Watson has been rejected from fruit-picking jobs in multiple states, despite the industry facing a shortfall of 26,000 workers
Scott Watson, 53, said he had contacted about a dozen companies in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria, several of which he had seen quoted in media reports about labour shortages, to ask for work in the past year. He said he would be able to relocate from Brisbane to most regional areas in a matter of days, but the orchard owners he applied to were sceptical.
"With one phone call [to an agency] I can basically start the search for any number of workers and know that the people who arrive on my farm have been screened for their suitability for the job," he said."Most family farms, to my knowledge, would go through either a job placement agency or would be getting their workers through a labour-hire contractor."
Let the fruit rot. If the prick can't pay a living wage, then let them starve.
They aren't offering jobs, they pay piecemeal rates which for all but 'gun' pickers means $8-10/hr ie 1/3 the minimum wage once full time benefits are taken into account. They won't pay more than that because they compete against imports that even lower wage costs.
What is LNP Government doing about this. Absolutely nothing is the correct answer. Crooks the lot of them.
Guess they’re not as desperate as they claim.
Anyway..... good on this bloke for at least WANTING to work and not just sitting on his arse on welfare. It can be a hard road when you're over 50....
Too loud, opinionated, connected to the same cancel culture, litigious. Too risky. Taiwanese please
Farmers want slaves. Not workers. Sorry
Time to shine a light on work practices behind this labour shortage. So many Aussies have no job & the Govt shows no interest in connecting them to these jobs.Why?If stories are true, people are being exploited by Aussies, some by traffickers too.Tough for farmers, but not right
From Overseas .
come on - has 2 b more to it
Thanks to the ABC for airing these stories. Australian Farmworkers are ready willing and able .Farmers/Corporations just need to review the whole exercise and method of Employing. Back to in person at the Farm Office.Personal approach.
On one side I get it, hiring a large number of workers is a very labour intensive process and the liabilities are also very high of any of them have underlying health conditions. Using an agent is the better way to go, the problem is the agents bully workers into lower wages
...Everybody knows the deal is rotten Old Black Joe’s still pickin’ cotton For your ribbons and your bows...”
Labour hiring companies like this one, whose model is based on exploitation?
Older white males are the most despised, marginalised group in our society. That’s why they sleep in their cars, fill our prisons and psychiatric wards. That’s why they are over represented among suicides. There will be no sympathy.
It’s the same in every industry where they claim to have shortages of workers. The only shortage is the shortage of workers who won’t work for below the award. They just want to get foreigners who are less likely to stand up for themselves.
Farmers only want slave labour
The want non English speakers from poverty ravished countries so they can rip them off and treat them like indentured slaves
An educated non-immigrant can't be exploited or forced to pay ludicrous room and board fees to get a job. Of course he is not welcome to set the right example of fair pay to the immigrant workforce.
'We are desperate for workers, but we don't want to have to pay them'
Job agencies are the biggest con out, suspect politicians have shares in them and the government incentives from turning over staff from the unemployed pool is where the money is. A lot of farmers are back scratching LNP supporters.
Interesting. Thanks someone not telling whole story ?
His name isn’t Chinese Vietnamese Filipino or Malaysian so he can’t be blindly ripped off or hired by labour hire intermediaries rorting the refugee visa system
Farm owners signed deals with agents which pay pickers at $3 a hour and abundant chances of 🙊.
surely if unemployed people should accept any job, regardless of pay, conditions, and location, then fruit growers 'desperate' for pickers should accept any applicant, regardless of how they apply?
It is admirable that the ethnic European community of Australians like Watson are finally willing to work as cheap labour!
Growers want indentured labourers from OS
I did my research properly lisaMakT i must confess nobody handled business like you do I'm privileged to work with you, one of the best traders on here.