The Australasian Meat Industry Employees Union (AMIEU) has achieved a significant victory in the Hunter Valley, securing a substantial pay increase for hundreds of low-paid workers. Since the introduction of same job same pay legislation, the union has been actively pursuing applications across the country to improve the take-home pay of thousands of workers. The most recent win occurred at the Bartter Beresfield site, owned by Baiada, where the union successfully argued for regulated labour hire arrangement orders.
Background of the Case
Bartter Beresfield directly employs approximately 700 workers. However, more than 300 additional workers are employed through labour hire agencies APG, Ready Workforce, and J&T Trade Pty Ltd. APG and Ready Workforce provide workers for various labouring roles across all departments at the site, often serving as a pathway to direct employment. In 2025, the AMIEU lodged applications for regulated labour hire arrangement orders covering workers from these agencies. The decision for APG and Ready Workforce was handed down on October 21, 2025, and took effect on November 3, 2025. This resulted in minimum rates of pay increasing by $4 per hour, a substantial boost for the workers involved.
Challenge for J&T Trade Workers
Simultaneously, the AMIEU made an application covering workers employed by J&T Trade. This application was challenged by both J&T Trade and Bartter Enterprises, leading to a hearing in late December 2025. J&T Trade supplies boners to the site, who manually debone chicken—a highly skilled job. Both J&T and Bartter's legal team, comprising four lawyers, argued that J&T Trade provided a service, not workers. However, the AMIEU's industrial officer, Brandan Swan, assisted by Tamsin Caldwell, relied on industry and workplace knowledge from AMIEU Assistant Secretary Jason Roe and AMIEU delegates Sharlene McNamara and Lorna Watson.
Key Findings
The AMIEU successfully proved that deboning is integral to the site's operations. Each day, Bartter notifies J&T of the types of chicken cuts required, and the J&T supervisor ensures the cuts are produced. J&T workers place deboned chickens in Bartter crates, which are then weighed and quality-checked by Bartter employees. Bartter supplies the chickens, while J&T provides knives, mesh gloves, deboning cones, and sharpening tools. However, Deputy President Tony Saunders did not view these items as plant or structures. Some Bartter employees also perform deboning, though their work typically involves simpler cuts compared to J&T workers.
Deputy President Saunders found that the manual chicken deboning work performed by J&T employees is skilled work of a specialist or expert nature to a moderate degree. He noted that deboning is an integral part of poultry processing undertaken regularly at the facility. The specialist nature of the work did not prevent Bartter from supervising J&T employees. Several factors indicated that J&T employees work in service provision, such as J&T's role in organising, training, directing, and supervising its staff. However, beyond knives and gloves, J&T does not supply any significant plant, equipment, or structures, and its employees' work is integral to the facility's operations. J&T workers use Bartter's benches and crates in an integrated way with Bartter's employees.
Outcome and Implications
Deputy President Saunders accepted that outsourcing chicken deboning had increased efficiency, but stated this did not make an order unfair or unreasonable, as Bartter could continue to have deboning work performed in much the same way as it is currently. The decision marks a significant win for the AMIEU and sets a precedent for similar cases across the industry. The union continues to advocate for fair pay and conditions for low-paid workers, ensuring that labour hire arrangements do not undermine wages and conditions.
