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THE employment of five Chinese 457 visa workers has raised workplace concerns at Longford’s JBS Australia abattoir.
The Chinese workers were placed on the abattoir’s beef boning and slaughtering lines on January 19.
The Examiner was contacted by an abattoir employee who said the workers had bypassed the abattoir’s next-in-line promotion arrangement and had been placed into permanent skilled positions.
He said the 457 visa workers were receiving prioritised training and had filled positions ahead of labourers awaiting promotions.
JBS Australia chief executive John Berry said a high staffing turnover and lack of experience at the site were the reasons for introducing the Chinese men.
‘‘We employ near-on 500 people at Longford,’’ Mr Berry said.
‘‘Like all businesses, we continue to have challenges — the turnover last year has been around 225 people.’’
He said the federal government’s approved 457 visa program meant workers were required to enter skilled positions.
‘‘We continue to recruit locally, but unfortunately the meat industry isn’t everyone’s cup of tea,’’ Mr Berry said.
‘‘There is a process for training. We can’t just bring people [into skilled roles] overnight: they have to go through a certificate.’’
Australasian Meat Industry Employees Union Tasmania secretary Troy Baker said the foreign workers came from an abattoir about a tenth of the size of Longford.
Mr Baker said the state’s industry had been relatively sheltered from hiring 457 visa employees – a common practice on the mainland.
‘‘Down here we have a higher workload – generally compensation tends to be an issue,’’ he said.
‘‘I think they would have basically been producing five cattle per man a day [in China], whereas over here the standard is 24 cattle per man per day.’’
Although Mr Berry said the union was advised of the move, Mr Baker said he was unaware of the decision after the Chinese men were employed.