Accommodation Saga Looked Into, Usamate

Jone Usamate said they had been reassured by the New Zealand Government that it was looking into cases of seasonal workers paying for their own accommodation.

The Minister for Employment Opportunities, Productivity and Industrial Relations said this during a public consultation at Sigatoka Town Council this week.

He said that under the Recognised Seasonal Employment scheme, some Fijians who worked in New Zealand were paying accommodation of up to NZ$80 (about F$116.09) weekly while some were paying NZ$120 (about F$174.14).

As a result, they couldn’t save much money, he said.

Mr Usamate said he spoke on behalf of Pacific island countries on the issue. They had been reassured by the New Zealand Government that the matter would be addressed.

“It is a legitimate concern, it is something we will continue to discuss with them and also the employers,” he added. “Sometimes I am not happy with what I see, the way in which they are packed into some of the buildings, it is sad,” he added.

But, Mr Usamate said that they had been having discussions with the New Zealand Government to make sure that the workers get the maximum benefit. However, he also told the forum that there were many successes from the programme.

He had met a few Fijians who were part of the seasonal workers programme who have managed to save close to $20,000.

The programme is only focused on those people living in rural villages.

“It is a good thing it’s a great opportunity for people out in rural areas because we are focused on the villages and not for the ones in town, a lot of them don’t have the opportunity to save that kind of money.

“The benefits far outweigh the problems we have. He said a team from the ministry would travel to Australia in November to meet with employers where they hoped to open new doors of opportunities.

Meanwhile, Mr Usamate revealed that talks were also underway to send teachers to Seychelles as part of the foreign employment services under the National Employment Centre.