increase font size
Feds dairy chair Richard McIntyre says migrant workers must be treated well.
An appalling case of migrant worker exploitation on a Southland farm isn't acceptable, says Federated Farmers dairy chair Richard McIntyre.
He says the actions of Indonesian-born farmer Reza Abdul-Jabbar have no place in the dairy sector.
McIntyre says they are pleased that the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) has imposed a significant fine.
"The agriculture sector is reliant on migrant labour, particularly in remote areas, so it is important that they are treated well and the rules are followed," he told Dairy News.
"Farmers will be incredibly frustrated that this employer has let the side down in such a significant way. Farmers are typically very good employers of migrant labour."
Abdul-Jabbar and his company Rural Practice Ltd (RPL) were ordered to pay $215,000 over the exploitation of three migrant workers from Indonesia by ERA member Alastair Dumbleton.
He ruled Abdul-Jabbar disregarded NZ law governing employment and took advantage of three men who were from his own country.
The three workers came from Indonesia to work for the company on its Invercargill dairy farm, and were subject to numerous employment breaches during their time working between 2017 and 2022. They included not paying their workers minimum wage, nor their holidays, manipulating payslips, unlawful wage deductions and not keeping accurate wage records.
In December 2020, one of the workers raised the alarm through the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) contact line to complain about his pay, days off and that the employer refused to return his passport and identification.
Abdul-Jabbar was an imam at a mosque in Invercargill, and the religious advisor to at least one of the three workers.
In his ruling, Dumbleton noted that there may be several underlying reasons for the failure of an employer such as RPL to comply with statutory and contractual employment law obligations, or for persons such as Reza Abdul-Jabbar becoming involved in a failure of that kind.
"Lack of dairy farming skill or knowledge or experience, may be an explanation. So too might be financial pressure or concern, personal problems including health issues of different kinds, ignorance of the law, or just plain neglect or inadvertence.
"The authority concludes that none of those reasons provides an explanation. The authority concludes that the explanation is an attitude held by Mr Abdul-Jabbar of disrespect for employment and immigration statutory rules and regulations - 'officialdom and bureaucracy' - and also an attitude of indifference to the sanctity of contract.
"In short, as a director and owner of the employer RPL, when it suited him, Mr Abdul-Jabbar knowingly disregarded the law governing employment.
"The respondents acted as if they knew best what was right for workers from Indonesia, not INZ or the labour inspector or parliament which made the law."
MBIE head of compliance and enforcement Simon Humphries says it was unforgivable that business owners would knowingly and deliberately exploit vulnerable workers they brought to New Zealand.
"These workers came to this country in search of a better life, but they were taken advantage of by those they trusted," Humphries said.
OPINION: Recent media commentary from Southland Federated Farmers has raised concerns among our rural communities, particularly around Environment Southland’s approach to winter grazing inspections and nitrogen reporting. But let’s be clear, much of what’s been said simply doesn’t reflect reality.
OPINION: Environment Canterbury's (ECan) decision recently to declare a so-called “nitrate emergency” is laughable.
A shameless political stunt is how Federated Farmers is describing the Canterbury Regional Council decision to declare “a nitrate emergency” on the back of its latest annual groundwater quality survey.
Federated Farmers say Environment Canterbury's decision to declare a 'nitrate emergency' is a shameless political stunt that won't help anyone.
Farmers want the Government to scrap controversial freshwater rules that "put river spirits and ideology ahead of practical water use", says Federated Farmers board member Mark Hooper.
OPINION: Public pressure has led to Canterbury Police rightly rolling back its proposed restructure that would have seen several rural police stations closed in favour of centralised hubs.
When I interview Rachel Cox, she is driving - on her way to her next meeting.
With Fonterra's UHT plant at its Edendale site less than a year from completion, demand continues to grow for products the plant will produce, such as Anchor Whipping Cream.
A new $50,000 scholarship fund designed to support and empower women in the New Zealand dairy industry through leadership development has been launched.
Many farmers around the country are taking advantage of the high dairy payout to get maximum production out of their cows.
In 2015, the signing of a joint venture between St Peter's School, Cambridge, and Lincoln University saw the start of an exciting new chapter for Owl Farm as the first demonstration dairy farm in the North Island. Ten years on, the joint venture is still going strong.
