It's berry picking season in Tasmania, but this year things are a little different for growers and pickers.
A new fixed award rate of pay is prompting change in orchards and berry patches around the country.
Hillwood Berries in Northern Tasmania has developed a new app to help track productivity, maximise profitability and support workers.
"Now the award has changed, and rightly so, the business needs to ensure that everybody makes the hourly rate and we need to look at things from a truly productivity-based approach," Hillwood Berries general manager Simon Dornauf said.
Workers who were previously paid based on the piece rate or how much they picked are now guaranteed a minimum rate of pay of $21.38 an hour.
Hillwood Berries is now measuring how each worker performs.
"We're able to monitor the workers through the day and how many trays they're picking to see where our exposure is in terms of productivity of the group," he said.
"That allows us to then make decisions about whether we need to bring more people into a field, whether we need to performance manage or improve some of the workforce that are struggling to get up to speed."
To use the app, fruit pickers register at the start of their shift. Then each tray is scanned using a barcode system, to attribute it to the worker that picked it.
"We make sure we pay correctly, but with that comes an accountability to the workforce to ensure that we are remaining profitable or at least breaking even," Mr Dornauf said.
"This app is a way for us to give feedback to those workers, so they can understand where they sit in the pack, where their shortcomings might be and how we can improve."
He said the aim was for the operation to become more productive, efficient and competitive in the market.
Union backs app
Australian Workers Union national secretary Daniel Walton said the app was a positive response to the changing conditions.
"[The app] sounds like a great initiative being led by industry and we certainly encourage more people to do similar things," Mr Walton said.
"We've had all sorts of feedback from the industry. The good ones have said this is an opportunity to make sure everyone operates to the same level."
Primary Employers Tasmania executive officer Andrew Cameron said the new rules had many growers reviewing productivity.
"Previously, if the picker wanted to sit down and have a smoke or a long lunch it didn't matter, but this is going to mean that a lot more supervision is required in the field to make sure people are working," Mr Cameron said.
"Employers can train and encourage people to improve, but if they don't improve it will be unfortunate that they'll have to let them go."
Mr Walton said the implementation of the new award had "not been an absolutely seamless implementation", but that it was now "so much easier to assist workers and for workers to have an understanding whether of not they're being paid the proper rate of pay."
"Under the last system it was complicated, it was tricky, and it was done in a way to drive down wages. So we're happy we are starting to see some positive updates and positive uplifts in the industry," he said.
