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A workers union is asking a strawberry farm to pay more to pick up jobs if it wants New Zealanders to do the job.
Perrys Berrys in Wiri, south of Auckland, said it faces tons of fruit rotting on the ground unless it gets recognized seasonal workers (RSE) from the Pacific.
Owner Francie Perry said the government urgently needed to intervene and make border exceptions for the workers as the Kiwis turned down the job. Picking up was hard work and only migrant workers could be trusted, she said.
He estimated that he was missing some 70 workers without access to foreigners and said berry prices could rise if the fruits were not picked.
DAVID BLANCO / THINGS
Most strawberry harvest workers are paid a minimum hourly rate of $ 19.90 and more if they work faster.
But First Union spokeswoman Anita Rosentreter said New Zealanders would get the job done if the horticulture industry paid better.
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“Kiwis are known around the world for being hard workers, so it is unfair to tell them that they cannot do hard work,” Rosentreter said.
Tom Lee / Stuff
Strawberry farms are the first in the horticultural industry to harvest in the spring.
“It is a distraction from the real problem, which is better pay.”
Operators often offer workers a piece rate, where they are paid based on the amount of fruit they pick.
Choose a lot and they can earn a decent living, but choose a little, and many workers say that it is difficult, and the gains are not that great.
That has been reinforced by an ad Perry has placed on Seek, which says: “Most of the available work is paid by piece rate bonus, where you are required to produce enough to earn at least the current minimum wage to keep your job. .
“If you earn more than the minimum wage and produce quality work, then you are paid with a piece bonus (higher than the minimum wage).”
Perry said the wording of the ad had created some confusion and that all employees were paid the minimum wage regardless of how much fruit was picked.
“This includes people who would not earn the minimum piece rate because they are not fit to work and need to take a lot of breaks,” he said.
The number of workers who could not choose enough to meet the minimum wage was “not many” and they retained their jobs anyway, he said.
DAVID BLANCO / THINGS
Francie Perry of Perrys Berrys says they cannot pay workers more than minimum wage.
Perrys Berrys had several experienced pickers who were very productive and achieved bonuses under the piece rate model.
“This can raise your wage to $ 36 an hour, which is well above the minimum wage,” he said.
Perry also noted that as a Recognized Seasonal Employer, the company was compliant with labor law requirements and was inspected by the Department of Labor to ensure compliance.
Labor attorney Susan Hornsby-Geluk said employers were required by law to pay the minimum wage, with no exceptions.
“Whether it is reasonable to require employees to pick enough fruit to earn the minimum wage is a separate issue and will depend on what this means in practice.”
Problems with getting pickers have led Maungatapere Berries, a family business near Whangarei, to stop relying on foreign workers.
Co-owner Rebecca Malley said her goal was to employ full-time workers to create a team environment.
“He’s paying more where we can, giving bonuses to people who perform well, increasing his average hourly rate for the year, providing training, obtaining certification in the machinery.
“We don’t just focus on the rate of pay, it’s more about what we can provide to the employee as a whole,” he said.
Initially, the company had hired contractors to do the collection, but found that each year it brought in different people, with different skill levels.
Kerry Marinkovich / Things
Rebecca and Austin Malley of Maungatapere Berries. The family business wanted a safe workforce and provide safe jobs for the locals.
“We just wanted to know that we could have a workforce that we trust and, in turn, provide safe jobs.”
Rosentreter said the industry had trusted CSR workers for years.
With borders closed due to Covid-19, farms had to consider paying better if the need during harvest was desperate, he said.
“This is the first time these farms have had to consider Kiwi workers.
“They think they can get away with paying the minimum wage with insecure contracts with migrants for years. New Zealand workers will not settle for that. “
He said farms should consider a starting fee of $ 22.10 and better job security because workers had to consider ongoing living expenses.
