PNG exercises caution over Australia's worker scheme

Papua New Guinea says it remains cautious about the possibility of labour exploitation under a pilot scheme where Pacific Islanders will be offered seasonal jobs in Australia.

"One of my big fears is the Australian government had special work visas where they issued to workers coming from Asia and they found that is some cases, those people were being exploited by employers,: he said.

"The Australian government I'm told has learnt through that experience and they don't want it repeated with our people going to Australia for rural work.

Mr Hickey says he would like to see the Australian government put mechanisms in place whereby they would be protected from exploitation by employers.

"First we would like to see that our workers belong to a trade union in Australia, because they would receive some protection from exploitation if they became trade unionists."

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Slavery2.0 - Migrant work in Aotearoa

"Kiribati people are their own failures, they weren't motivated. I couldn't get them to work," was the comment made to the ODT by the Marlborough contractor who crammed 22 people into a three bedroom apartment.

And the Department of Labour was reportedly investigating Garry Maxwell-Smith and his company Fore-Vintage Contracting, for treating migrant workers like so much garbage. To top it all off, 60 or so Kiribati workers have been sent home penniless after the promised work has run out.

With the Pacific Forum in Niue next week, alarm bells should be ringing as Australia and New Zealand tighten their grip over the Pacific labour markets and plan to set up more schemes to tap into a vast pool of Pacific labour, which through seasonal work schemes can be mobilised and then dumped back into the labour pool with the ease of turning on a tap. Just 100% pure minimum wage labour. 100% New Zealand.

The future of the Pacific seems to be looking grim with these relevations, which come hot on the heels of leaked details of Australia attempting to bully Pacific nations into a free trade agreement which will no doubt "lead to rising inequality, losses in government revenue, job losses, a reduction in the quality and supply of essential services and the closing off of policy space that governments use to stimulate development."

see also
http://uriohau.blogspot.com/2008/08/slavery-in-pacific_09.html

Tonga and NZ to mark beginning of seasonal workers' scheme on Friday

By Radio Tonga News Apr 16, 2007, 13:51

A memorandum of understanding will be signed in Auckland this week between the governments of Tonga and NZ to start the seasonal workers scheme, an opportunity for the people of Tonga to work abroad.

Deputy secretary for the Labour division for the Ministry of Labour, Commerce and Industries, Sione Maumau says they are now processing data creating a database to compile names of people to take part in the scheme.

Sione says people who want to take part in the scheme will have to prove their status within their own community before they are considered to be in NZ.

The MOU will be singed this Friday, before farmers assigned by the government of NZ come to Tonga next week to interview those selected for the scheme.

Sione says the number of employees will depend on how many labourers are picked by the NZ farmers.

The first official group from Tonga under the NZ Seasonal Workers Scheme will start working on the 30 of this month.

Sione says they will visit the two Niuas, Lulunga and Mu'omu'a island groups after the first lot leaves for NZ.

© Copyright by Tonga-broadcasting.com

'NEW SEASONAL WORKER SCHEME FAVOURS NZ MORE'.....MELINO MAKA

Date: 19 April 2007

Auckland 6am: The chairman of the Tongan Advisory Council says the new seasonal worker scheme may not be as great for Pacific people as it's being made out to be.

Melino Maka says he's not convinced yet that the scheme will do a lot of good for the Pacific community.

Maka met with officials from the Department of Labour at a fono on Tuesday, which was organised to shed more light on the scheme.

Maka says he's not impressed with things like Pacific workers having to pay the ACC levy and tax but not being entitled to medical care.(listen)

Some four thousand, five hundred Tongans have applied to work here for seven months annually in the horticulture and viticulture industries.

Maka told Pacific Radio News that based on the information he's been given, the scheme looks to favour New Zealand more than the Pacific. (listen)

Officials launch the new scheme, which sees nations Tonga, Samoa, Kiribati, Tuvalu and Vanuatu taking part, this Friday.