A legal dispute involving foreign seasonal workers who claim their wages were unlawfully reduced to zero due to various deductions has escalated into legal proceedings.
Originating in 2020, the case involves three workers from the Solomon Islands, Lyn Soapi and Danny and Mary Lau, who worked in the Hawke’s Bay under the Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme.
They allege that their employer Pick Hawke’s Bay made unauthorised deductions from their pay for expenses like travel, insurance, and missing kitchen equipment. In some cases the deductions resulted in earnings below the minimum wage. The case, initially brought to the Employment Relations Authority and is now in the Employment Court, could impact hundreds of employers and thousands of employees beyond just seasonal workers, according to a report in legacy media outlet the NZ Herald.
The Human Rights Commission and the Council of Trade Unions have been allowed to intervene in the case. Pick Hawke’s Bay denies the allegations, asserting the deductions were lawful.
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Unfortunately we all suffer from unlawful deductions from wages, clandestinely disguised at taxes