23 February 2007 Visa worker paid $3 an hour in ‘modern slavery’, claims AMWU The Dept of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) and the Office of Workplace Services are investigating the case of a Chinese worker on a s457 visa who the AMWU claims was paid $3 an hour, slept in a factory corner, and sacked when he complained. AMWU Vic sec Dave Oliver told Workforce the man was hired in Beijing more than a year ago to work as a carpenter for Kentwood Industries (WA) on a salary of $39,000 – as required by the visa. When he arrived in Australia he was told his salary was 39,000 yuan – less than $6,500 – and he was assigned “basic labouring” tasks. “It is modern day slavery,” Oliver said. The AMWU claims Zhao Lin Yuan was living on money borrowed from his employer, which told him funds were withdrawn from his account to send to his family in China. It is claimed his family received no money for five months. “He even had to pay a bond to make sure he behaved,” Oliver said. Kentwood Industries MD Jim Zhang could not be contacted for comment by a DIAC spokesperson said he would not be allowed to sponsor “any more overseas workers” while the investigation was under way. Oliver said the union believed there could be others in WA and Vic hired through the same Australia-China Cultural Development Agency that arranged Zhao’s employment. Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews was in Perth yesterday but did not accept an AMWU invitation to meet the worker. Earlier this month Andrews promised to “crack down” on “the cowboys” in the migration visa program (WF1573).