Chamber backs bid to import workers

The Southland Chamber of Commerce is backing the Alliance Group’s bid to import 100 meatworkers as ‘‘a necessary move’’ during the region’s increasing skills shortage.

Chamber chief executive Sheree Carey said shortages of skilled and unskilled candidates at processing plants had forced the company to look further afield. ‘‘It’s unfortunate that some potential local candidates do not meet Alliance’s criteria.’’

Stuff reported on Tuesday that hundreds of Southlanders were being turned down for jobs at the Lorneville and Mataura plants, therefore the New Zealand Meat Works Union would strenuously oppose an Alliance application to Immigration New Zealand to bring in overseas workers.

Recruitment was necessary to welcome and support people to the region and to achieve the Southland Regional Development Strategy goal of 10,000 more people by 2025, Carey said.

Otago-Southland Meat Workers Union secretary Gary Davis said he was disappointed at the chamber’s stance.

‘‘The people of the Chamber of Commerce don’t have any idea what goes on with the hiring and training at the those plants. They are taking a very general view of the employment situation.’’ Workers were not being paid enough ‘‘and the chamber needs to get their head around that’’.

He said the union was not antiimmigration and had supported Silver Fern Farms Finegand plant’s applications for more workers because of the difficulties of getting staff to south Otago.

Carey said employing locals was preferable but she did not have enough information about the Alliance criteria to know why Southlanders were not being employed at the plant and would be making further inquiries with her colleagues and the industry.

Immigration New Zealand operations support manager Michael Carley confirmed yesterday that Immigration NZ had received an Alliance Group application for 100 workers, with no decision made as yet.

During the past five years, 1817 requests (including fishing crew recruits) had been approved and 527 declined, and for work visa requests 15,972 had been approved and 1404 declined.

Carley said obtaining an Approval in Principle allowed an employer to recruit a specified number of overseas workers for a set period of time.