Union Media Release
The ETU has called for immediate Government intervention into the State’s solar farms after finding Philippino workers were being paid just $30 per day on 400 class visas to do work on a Townsville solar farm.
The explosive revelations surfaced during routine union enquiries into the wages and conditions of two Phillippino workers employed under Visa class 400 by Schneider Australia on the Ross River Solar farm in North Queensland.
Queensland Secretary of the Electrical Trades Union Peter Ong said today this latest report was further evidence that the Solar Industry in Queensland was riddled with exploitation.
“First we had unlicensed backpackers doing electrical work on low rates of pay, now we have basically slave labour where overseas workers are being paid subsistence wages and going hungry, it’s a disgraceful breach of immigration, building and employment law”
“The fact that this exploitation is being perpetrated by a large private company further highlights why the Queensland Government through Clean Co, must own, construct and operate the State’s renewable energy generation”
“The ETU and its members have and will continue to fight against the privatisation of our electricity assets, it fails every test. The current privatisation by stealth is not providing secure work for Queensland workers, it is riddled with short term insecure work and exploitation of overseas guest workers. The Government cannot sit on its hands and let this happen”
