00:02A little piece of home in a foreign land.
00:05These Pacific Islanders were brought to Australia by the Federal Government to work.
00:11This unfair dismissal that happens, they're exploited, they're underpaid.
00:16This union meeting in Wagga Wagga is one of thousands run around the country,
00:21teaching migrants about their rights and providing free legal advice.
00:25It says it's uncovered $1.35 million in unpaid wages in New South Wales alone,
00:31as well as harassment and illegal refusals of workers' compensation.
00:36We know of situations where workers are actually held captive
00:39and transferred from a house to work and work to back.
00:43Colombian clinical psychologist Viviana has been left shaken after working for an NDIS contractor.
00:49She received harassing phone calls from her boss at 1 and 2am.
00:53If I didn't answer, it was so difficult.
00:57When she spoke up, she was let go and had $40,000 in wages withheld.
01:04I didn't have support, to be honest. I didn't know about the rights here.
01:11A Facebook post in Spanish led her to the union program,
01:15which helped her win back her wages in court.
01:18Unions NSW has been told the program could be cut in the May federal budget
01:24and it's worried cases like Viviana's could go undetected.
01:28She said you are just immigrant and you don't have rights here.
01:34The government has declined to comment on the program's future.
01:38And I think even looking at the federal government there is no one's choice.
01:43Speaking to està , if a job gets an address in Spain provided a personal regard to Germany at the same
01:46time,
Comments