NINETEEN FIJIAN SEASONAL WORKERS STILL ON RUN IN AUST

Nineteen Fijians who were part of the 2015 seasonal workers’ programme to Australia are still on the run in Australia.

This has been confirmed by Minister for Employment, Productivity and Industrial Relations, Jone Usamate while conducting public consultations in the Western Division yesterday.

While speaking in Tavua, he said that some Fijians who were sent to Australia and New Zealand under the programmed had their contracts terminated due to many reasons.

He added that was the reason they had chosen to recruit people who lived in rural areas rather than those in urban areas.

Mr Usamate added that they had seen that people living in rural settings were loyal to their employers whilst in New Zealand or Australia.

He said that Government would withdraw from sending Fijians under the programme if the issue continued to rise.

Mr Usamate then added that competition from other Pacific Island countries were high so they needed to send people who could do the job.

He said selecting people from rural settings were good because they scrutinised by their respective community leaders.

“We don’t want to send lazy people, ones that drink grog, smoke and consume alcohol because these are the kinds of people who will not be able to do the job,” he said.

Mr Usamate also said that employers from Australia and New Zealand have started to lose interest on recruiting Fijians because they ended up breaching their work contracts.

“The recruitment from Australia and New Zealand employers under the programme is now stagnant, it neither increased nor decreased.”