She had to borrow money from her supervisor just to buy groceries. Now a migrant fruit picker who worked on Coffs Harbour region blueberry farms is telling other visa holders to fight back, after the company that employed her ended up in court.
Four Seasons Workforce Pty Ltd and its sole director, Pik Yok Chey, are facing the Federal Circuit and Family Court, accused of short-changing two migrant workers on the region’s blueberry farms.
The Fair Work Ombudsman moved after two workers on working holiday visas asked for help: a Japanese worker employed between July and November 2023, and Chinese national Kun Du, employed between June and October 2024.
Both picked blueberries on Coffs Harbour region farms. Both, the regulator alleges, were short-changed.
A Fair Work Inspector believes the company paid workers by how much they picked, not by the hour, and skipped the Pieceworker Guaranteed Minimum Rate they were legally owed. That rate guarantees pickers no less than the minimum hourly rate for casual fruit pickers under the Horticulture Industry Award 2020, multiplied by the hours worked each day. One worker’s public holiday pay was allegedly shorted too.
Compliance Notices landed in May and September 2025, ordering the company to calculate and back-pay what was owed. The Fair Work Ombudsman alleges the company ignored them, without a reasonable excuse, and that Ms Chey was involved in the contraventions.
The bill: $14,065. It is alleged that money only appeared after the regulator took the company to court.
For Ms Du, the shortfall hit hard.
“At times, I had to borrow money from the supervisor on site,” she said.
She was eventually paid the more than $5,000 she was allegedly owed.
“I was really happy because I did not believe the money was going to be back-paid. It had already been two years,” she said.
“When I saw the money, it felt like justice had been served.”
Fair Work Ombudsman Anna Booth said the case was a warning to the horticulture sector.
“The amounts for the workers owed under the Compliance Notices in this case were significant,” she said.
“Improving compliance in the horticulture sector and taking action to protect migrant workers are priorities for the Fair Work Ombudsman. In this sector, as in others, when Compliance Notices are not followed we will continue to take legal action.”
Migrant workers, Ms Booth said, are often the most vulnerable to being short-changed.
“We treat alleged breaches of workplace laws involving visa holders particularly seriously because we are aware they can be vulnerable, as they are often unaware of their rights, heavily reliant on their employers or reluctant to complain,” she said.
“But migrant workers can be assured that they have the same rights and protections under the Fair Work Act as other employees in Australia, and protections exist for their visa if they call out any breaches.”
Growers who used Four Seasons Workforce will be written to, Ms Booth said, and told about the alleged non-compliance in their own supply chains.
Four Seasons Workforce Pty Ltd faces penalties of up to $99,000 per contravention. Ms Chey faces up to $19,800 per contravention. A Statement of Agreed Facts was filed on 12 August, with a hearing set down for the Federal Circuit and Family Court in Sydney on 20 October.
Anyone worried about their pay can call the Fair Work Ombudsman on 13 13 94, with a free interpreter service on 13 14 50.
For Ms Du, the message to other workers is simple.
“I just want to tell them to be brave, to fight for yourself and fight for more people,” she said.
“If you need help, you can access people’s help. Don’t be afraid. Be brave.”
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