Vegetable, Fruit, Flower, Packing Shed and Farm duty workers
Salary: Horticultural Award/Piece Rate
Work Type: Full Time
Tenancy: Temporary Position
Hours per Day: 8 – 10
Positions: 8
We are farmers of vegetables in the Southeast Region of Victoria region which is where the work is located. We require 52 hardworking, fully committed workers primarily to harvest vegetables which may include cutting and harvesting vegetables, harvesting flowers, harvesting fruit and working indoors - within packing shed facilities.Experience in cutting/harvesting vegetables, fruit and/or harvesting flowers is advantageous. Other farm duties including weeding, manual farm duties inside or outside packing shed, market garden activities may also be required in lieu of harvest work as required.
With the positions offered, the work will be paid at hourly rate or piece rate. In all cases, the work will be paid consistent with the Horticultural award 2020.
Travel between various properties will be required. Due to the nature of harvesting vegetables and flowers, particularly with vegetables, flowers, and fruit, frequency and regularity of work will be variable, predominately due to weather conditions.
Days worked per week maybe be five (5) days with 38 hours for the week. Peak season maybe from January to April, where harvest volumes generally increase with longer hours worked during this time but are not guaranteed. Depending on the crop to be harvested, the season in its entirety may run up to five (5) months from late November to early May.
Starting times will also varying dependent on climate and temperature conditions. If it is anticipated that mild nights are to be experienced, earlier start times will be required – possibly 9.00pm to 1.00am. Therefore, it is a key requirement is that prospecting workers are very flexible in their availability for working hours and days due to this inconsistency.
The work is all manual labour, outdoors and/or indoors, in a range of weather conditions ranging from raining, windy, muddy soil to hot, dry conditions. To tolerate all conditions, applicants will need to be physically fit, and of sound health if applying.Further to this, candidates need to have the ability to work quickly and with accuracy as each asparagus spear is harvested individually whilst walking in a bent over position.
Packing shed work will be indoors, standing for the duration of the shift and sorting, selecting correct grades of produce where there will be a need to bunch, pack, grade vegetables, fruit into a box or tie the flowers together.