{"id":7901,"date":"2020-03-20T12:53:47","date_gmt":"2020-03-20T01:53:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/development.uwu.org.au\/staging\/?p=7901"},"modified":"2025-07-28T13:59:16","modified_gmt":"2025-07-28T03:59:16","slug":"calls-for-urgent-action-to-protect-australian-farm-workers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/development.uwu.org.au\/staging\/archive\/calls-for-urgent-action-to-protect-australian-farm-workers\/","title":{"rendered":"Calls for urgent action to protect Australian farm workers"},"content":{"rendered":"

The United Workers Union, the farm workers union, calls for urgent action to protect and resolve the visa status of migrant workers on Australian farms during the COVID-19 crisis.<\/h4>\n

Migrant workers are being left in limbo<\/strong> due to the uncertainty of ever changing travel restrictions and border closures, and no guaranteed access to safe and affordable healthcare<\/strong> amidst the global coronavirus pandemic. They are also facing the same key issue that all insecure workers in Australia are facing: Can they afford to self-isolate?<\/strong><\/p>\n

United Workers Union spokesperson Jannette Armstrong said, \u201cWithout urgent support and clarity, Australia may see tens of thousands of visa workers stranded with invalid visas, or departing the country early leaving huge holes in some of our essential workforces.<\/p>\n

\u201cAustralia\u2019s supply of fresh produce is crucially dependent on temporary migrant workers. The labour of temporary and undocumented workers has held up the fresh produce industry in Australia for years.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs casual workers and non-citizens, temporary migrant workers do not have the visa security, wage support and access to healthcare they need to be protected in this national health crisis.<\/p>\n

\u201cSwift government action is required to ensure workers who are in the country now can have their visa status resolved. They need support and guaranteed protections so they can get on with the job of picking and packing fruit and vegetables in growing regions throughout Australia,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The United Workers Union asks that the following measures are put in place to ensure worker safety and supply chain integrity:<\/h4>\n
    \n
  1. Guaranteed paid special leave<\/b> for all workers – permanent, casual, labour hire and contract \u2013 who are forced to either self-isolate as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, or where there is a genuine business downturn or shutdown as a result of the pandemic.<\/li>\n
  2. Implementation of an information \u2018firewall\u2019<\/b>\u00a0between health services and the Department of Home Affairs, so that\u00a0all<\/u>\u00a0workers feel safe to get the treatment they need irrespective of visa status.<\/li>\n
  3. Immediate end to visa enforcement and detention actions<\/b>\u00a0by the Department of Home Affairs targeting farm workers, noting that these actions serve only to force workers into hiding which, at this time, poses a serious risk to their health.<\/li>\n
  4. Immediate resolution of status<\/b>\u00a0for the thousands of undocumented migrant workers who have long been working on Australia farms, to provide them with lawful status to continue their crucial work.<\/li>\n
  5. Immediate government funding<\/b>\u00a0for adequate community isolation stations for temporary migrant workers to access if they are exposed to the virus.<\/li>\n
  6. Reviewing requirements<\/b> of the Seasonal Worker Programme (SWP), Working Holiday Maker Programme (WHMP) so that:\n