The Australian Fair Work Commission has ruled in favour of a guaranteed minimum wage for casual fruit and vegetable pickers on piece-rate arrangements. Farmers will now be forced to pay an hourly minimum casual wage of $25.41 (US$18.94), even under piece-rates, which is where workers are paid for the volume picked. The Australian Workers’ Union (AWU) began the push for minimum wage in July, arguing that piece-rates made it easy for vulnerable workers to be cheated and exploited. The Australian Fresh Produce Alliance (AFPA), the representative body for fresh produce growers and suppliers, argued that competent pieceworkers under piece-rates could earn 15 percent more than the minimum hourly rate, creating a risk-reward bargain. But the commission rejected the industry’s argument that putting a floor on piece-rates would disincentivise more productive workers. “The existing pieceworker provisions in the Horticulture Award are not fit for purpose; they do not provide a fair …