More than $1 million in lost wages has been recovered for 2500 workers after a major investigation uncovered widespread non-compliance on fruit and vegetable farms.
The Fair Work Ombudsman's Harvest Trail Inquiry completed 836 investigations in the past five years, involving 444 growers and 194 labour hire contractors, with the majority picked at random.
The ombudsman believes the full extent of worker underpayments is significantly higher than the $1,022,698 clawed back for workers who follow fresh fruit, vegetables and wine grapes harvests around Australia.
