Home featured Featured News Staff Featured Backpackers revealed as most likely group to dispute pay Dynamic Business May 11, 2016 Backpackers revealed as most likely group to dispute pay Backpackers on working holiday visas are a reliable labour source for employers who rely on seasonal workers. Curiously it turn out that backpackers on working holiday visas also account for the highest level of pay disputes raised with the Fair Work Ombudsman, new statistics reveal. It was also female visa-holders in their 20s who were the most likely to seek help with wage disputes from the Ombudsman. Fair Work Ombudsman Natalie James said minimum wage workers from overseas, and especially those working as fruit and vegetable pickers and packers, were vulnerable to underpayment. Ms James said the profile of the typical underpaid overseas worker had emerged from an analysis of requests for assistance from overseas workers received throughout 2015. More than $2.2 million was recovered in underpaid wages and entitlements for working holiday visa-holders following disputes last calendar year – an average of $4,317 per dispute. Of the working holiday visa-holders who contacted the Fair Work Ombudsman requesting assistance, almost 20% were from the fruit and vegetable picking sector, almost 13% in food and beverages and almost 8% were employed as kitchen hands. The majority were employed on a casual basis. The most common complaint from visa-holders were that they had either been underpaid or simply not paid at all. Ms James said employers who exploited vulnerable visa-holders were taken to