Shipping company slavery accusations ‘concerning’
Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta says New Zealand is keeping a close eye on how Fiji responds to accusations of human trafficking in the South Pacific nation but a union representative says we need to go even further.
Seafarers allege they were brought to Fiji on false promises by Goundar Shipping, and ended up working in unsanitary, unsafe conditions for seven days a week with the company providing little more than one slice of bread, a cup of tea, and the occasional cup of noodles to workers.
The Filipino workers allege their boss at Goundar Shipping held back their passports and dumped them on a wharf with wages unpaid and no ticket home to the Philippines after they complained about their situation.
However, Philippines honorary consulate-general Dr Virgilio de Asa defended Goundar Shipping, claiming the workers effectively walked off the job and that the owner had evidence the workers’ contracts were denominated in Fiji dollars rather than the US currency, meaning they were owed roughly half the wages they thought they were.
De Asa also said the company’s owner sent some workers back to the Philippines last week and paid for it out of his own pocket.
Six trade unions in New Zealand (the Aviation and Marine Engineers’ Association, E Tu¯, First Union, Maritime Union of New Zealand, Merchant Service Guild Industrial Union of Workers, and the Rail and Maritime Transport Union) are calling for the Government to ‘‘put Fiji on notice’’ over the case.
Mahuta said she was aware of the ‘‘abuse and human trafficking’’ allegations surrounding Goundar Shipping in Fiji.
‘‘This is concerning and my officials are monitoring the issue and how Fiji intends to respond.’’
First Union general secretary Dennis Maga said the Government
needed to be doing more than just monitoring it. New Zealand companies could be exposed to legal, consumer and investor risk if the allegations proved to be true and firms had been using Goundar Shipping’s services.
Maga suggested the Government launch an investigation of its own to sort out just how exposed New Zealand firms were to the supply chain risk from having used Goundar Shipping’s services.
News also broke this week that Fiji police had launched a human trafficking investigation into the company. Human trafficking is alleged because the workers say they were lured to Fiji on false pretences and then prevented from leaving because their passports were confiscated.
Two seafarers who have been making the allegations spoke to Stuff on the condition aliases were used. Sam said they lived on the ship and were never offered any accommodation on dry land. He alleges there was no working toilet on the ship.
Then there were the cockroaches. Every surface was
riddled with tiny ones along with other bugs in his room. The boats were also unsafe in the opinion of a marine engineer from the Philippines who worked on them.
Sam said he was initially asked to sign a contract in the Philippines for over $1200 per month and later asked to sign a contract with no amount attached.
In Fiji, he was presented with yet another contract, but this one had a much smaller amount denominated in Fiji dollars.
Both Sam and James say they had no choice but to sign because they were already in Fiji and Goundar Shipping was holding on to their passports.
So instead of Sam sending money home to the Philippines, he ended up having to rely on his wife and family to send him money in Fiji.
The food was not enough to survive on either. For breakfast James said they were served a single slice of bread and a cup of tea. Lunch was pot noodles with a small piece of squash and a similar meal for dinner.
When the workers tried to complain to their diplomatic representative in the country, they discovered the person who was supposed to be their advocate was actually a familiar face from their days working on the shipping line.
The honorary consulategeneral in Fiji was known to them because he was also a doctor to Goundar Shipping’s seafarers.
De Asa told Stuff there was never any direct financial relationship between himself and Goundar Shipping but he did agree he had an arrangement to treat people who worked on Goundar’s ships. The company had asked him last year if he would treat them but de Asa said the workers paid him for his services not Goundar.
De Asa said he was a neutral party and did not know which party was telling the truth but he pushed back against some allegations.
He said Goundar had shown him signed contracts denominated in Fiji dollars. He said workers had not been left on the wharf after they complained but walked off the job against his advice.
He said their accusations involving the flights were also incorrect and the company’s owners had made efforts to send the workers home.
Nine workers were sent back to the Philippines last week and while there were repatriation flights to the Philippines available, the remaining workers could not be put on them because they passed through airports they did not have permission to transit through.
The Philippines embassy in Wellington has now taken over the case from De Asa.
The company’s owner has not responded to any requests for comment.
‘‘My officials are monitoring the issue.’’ Nanaia Mahuta
Foreign Minister