Motukarara Asparagus fined $26,000 for 47 employment act breaches

Motukarara Asparagus owner Christopher ray must pay back workers he underpaid. Photo / 123RF

Canterbury asparagus grower Christopher Gray has been fined for under-paying exploited workers.

The Employment Relations Authority set the penalty for the owner of Motukarara Asparagus at $26,000, after ordering in October that he repay 13 staff about $54,000.

Many of the workers were from Fiji and were vulnerable because they didn't know their entitlements, and English was their second language.

The ERA heard that Gray did not co-operate much with the labour inspector during an investigation.

Workers were paid a piece rate based on the amount of asparagus that they picked, and weren't paid minimum wages and holiday entitlements.

It was found some of the employee's wages were being calculated based on how much asparagus they picked at $2.50 a kilo.

According to the ERA, there are four different types of breaches by Gray.

A failure to pay minimum wage for 12 employees, failure to obtain consent for deductions from wages for 11 employees, failure to provide for public holidays and failure to keep compliant holiday and leave records.

There are 13 employees affected and a total of 47 separate beaches.

Horticulture sector inspector Kevin Finnegan earlier told the Herald there was no system in place to make sure employees were earning at least minimum wage.

He said they also found pay was being deducted for things like airfares and accommodation without the workers' consent.