There was talk of abolishing the unique piece-rate system that allows fruit pickers to be paid for the amount of fruit they pick, rather than the hours they work, and replacing it with a time-based system.

The NSW Farmers’ Association has lobbied consistently to illustrate to the Federal Government that getting rid of the piece-rate system would be damaging for both growers and employees.

Under a piece rate, growers can be assured of quantity. It’s an incentive-based system and it is widely considered that employees are happy with the wages paid under the piece-rate system.

Many growers feared that changes to this system would result in the industry being a less attractive employment option for the manywho currently enjoy, and earn good money from, the piece-rate system.

One can only assume that the proposal to replace it with an hourly rate would equate to fewer bins. And there’s no denying that the industry was nervous about implementing a new system that didn’t guarantee quantity.

From a fruit picker’s perspective, particularly the many seasonal and ‘grey nomad’ workers who enjoy the piece-rate system and engage in lifestyle fruit picking, the new system would have been terribly unpopular.

We were also concerned that there would have been an increase in regulatory burden with regards to record keeping and increased costs to horticulturalists.

Wage costs were set to increase by as much as 30 per cent under the new arrangements, with the wages paid to fruit pickers more than doubling on Sundays and public holidays.

So we’ve welcomed the Government’s decision this month to request the Australian Industrial Relations Commission re-examine conditions under the Horticulture Award.

This is great news for horticulturists with the AIRC review ensuring our concerns, like increased costs for producers and a rise in unemployment in regional areas, will be addressed.

This is a critical time for horticulturists and we encourage all growers to become part of the association that is fighting for their future today.