Using labour hire
Supply chains in the horticulture industry can have many layers. Make sure you know who you’re hiring and follow our tips to check they’re getting the right entitlements.
On this page:
- Entitlements of labour hire workers
- Selecting labour hire providers
- Reviewing your existing contracts
Entitlements of labour hire workers
If they’re doing the same work at the same location, labour hire workers employed by labour hire businesses get the same award entitlements as employees who are employed directly by growers.
Selecting labour hire providers
You can help minimise your risk when engaging contractors by following these tips:
Know the pay and conditions that apply
Make sure you know the award (or the registered agreement) and the minimum pay and conditions that apply to your workforce.
Ask questions
Ask potential contractors about their workplace practices and workers on site. It’s a good idea to ask questions and request information in writing, for example by email. Questions could include:
- How do you hire your workers?
- How much do you pay them?
- Do you use written piecework agreements?
- Do you issue pay slips?
- Do you give employees a Fair Work Information Statement?
You can also talk to workers about their pay and living conditions
Be wary of contractors who charge workers job finding fees or placement bonds, who offer crowded, overpriced accommodation, or who try to restrict where workers can stay or how they get to and from the worksite.
Understand your supply chain
Find out about sub-contracting arrangements and be careful of any that look like this. It’s your responsibility to know where your money is going.
Trust your instinct
Make sure the contract price is enough to cover wages and entitlements.
Check the license
In some cases labour hire businesses need to be licensed. For more information on the labour hire laws that may apply, we've developed guides to help you:
- Use our Guide to labour contracting (DOCX) (PDF) to learn how to use our 5 steps to select a potential contractor. This will help you identify if they are complying with workplace laws.
- Small business owner? Use our Guide to contracting labour for small business (DOCX) (PDF) for checks on how to minimise your risk of hiring a non-compliant contractor.
Reviewing your existing contracts
We understand things change over time. Follow these 3 steps to check whether there are any issues in your existing supply chain:
- Map your existing contracts
- Examine compliance with workplace laws
- Act on any problems you find.
Get our Guide to monitoring your labour contracting (DOCX) (PDF) for more information.
The guide also provides advice on how to map existing contractors and subcontractors, check compliance and address any problems.
