B.C. farmers and orchard owners who pay pickers and harvesters by piece work will have to pay their workers more in 2023 to harvest fruits, vegetables, berries and flowers.
The Ministry of Labour is hiking the minimum wage for farm labourers by 2.8% for piece work, to match a 2.8% minimum wage hike implemented in June 2022, which increased the hourly minimum wage to $15.65 per hour from $15.20 per hour.
Some farm labourers are paid hourly wages, and would have already received a wage hike in 2022. Those paid by piece-work will also have to be paid 2.8% more in 2023.
The new rates apply to 15 different crops, each of which has their own set rate of pay. Orchard workers, for example, will have to be paid $21.65 per bin for apples, and blueberry harvesters must be paid $0.502 per pound ($1.107 per kilogram).
