A vineyard labour contractor, Sanjhe Prasad, has been fined $25,000 by the Employment Relations Authority for failing to keep employment records for a second time.
The authority had previously ordered Prasad's company, KRSVP Ltd, to pay $7500 in 2015 for failing to provide employees with a written individual employment agreement, or time or wage records.
"Keeping employment records is important for proving employees are being provided with all their entitlements, such as the minimum wage," says Labour Inspectorate regional manager Kevin Finnegan.
Without seeking such assurances vineyard owners won't know whether those picking and pruning their vines are receiving their entitlements, putting the reputation of the industry at risk
"Following on from the initial ERA determination KRSVP Ltd would've been well aware of their obligations, so it's extraordinarily disappointing to have to take them to the ERA a second time.