This week, Australian industrial investigator, the Fair Work Ombudsman, found against the infrastructure and mining service giant Thiess over its treatment of its migrant workforce. Thiess made the workers, who were employed under a temporary work visa system, sign employment contracts that threatened to sack and deport migrant workers if they joined a union. The company was forced to apologise to the workers and make a donation to the Filipino community. Unfortunately, the workers lost their jobs and have been left with outstanding debts. Unions have repeatedly uncovered workplace abuses of temporary workers in Australia as the visa system leaves these workers in a very vulnerable position (see here and here).
This week, Australian industrial investigator, the Fair Work Ombudsman, found against the infrastructure and mining service giant Thiess over its treatment of its migrant workforce. Thiess made the workers, who were employed under a temporary work visa system, sign employment contracts that threatened to sack and deport migrant workers if they joined a union. The company was forced to apologise to the workers and make a donation to the Filipino community. Unfortunately, the workers lost their jobs and have been left with outstanding debts. Unions have repeatedly uncovered workplace abuses of temporary workers in Australia as the visa system leaves these workers in a very vulnerable position (see here and here).
