Border opens for skilled workers
More staff in meat, forestry, dairy welcomed
Busy meat-processing plants in Hawke’s Bay are having “a hell of a job” attracting enough staff and could be the biggest winners from a Government announcement to let more workers into the country.
The Government announced yesterday that 1580 more skilled workers were permitted to enter the country effective immediately in meat processing (500 workers), forestry and wood processing (580 workers) and dairy farming (500 workers), to help with labour shortages.
Those workers must be paid a minimum of $27 and $28 per hour to be eligible to enter the country.
Border restrictions are being lifted in July to allow workers into the country under a new Accredited Employer Work Visa.
The announcement this week will largely help fill gaps prior to workers entering the country on that work visa.
New Zealand Meat Workers Union Napier branch organiser Eric Mischefski said Hawke’s Bay had a mix of large and small meatworks and there was a shortage of staff.
“The meat industry is having a hell of a job trying to recruit and retain workers.
“It’s quite hard work, depending on what you are doing, and it takes a while to get up skills and learn techniques that enable you to alleviate some of the stresses and strains,” he said about the challenges of the job.
He said if some of the overseas workers could be deployed to Hawke’s Bay it would help, including with jobs like slaughterman and boners.
“With the scarcity of labour many companies are now starting to look at sending their carcasses whole,” he said, as opposed to cutting them up.
He said many meatworkers were on incentive-based pay which was based on results.
“The more people that we can get in and the more output we can get through, that is better for everybody in terms of earning rate [of existing workers] and the value to the producer and employer.”
Hawke’s Bay Federated Farmers president Jim Galloway said dairy farming in Hawke’s Bay was relatively small compared to other areas of the country.
However, he said even small staff shortages on farms had big impacts and flow-on effects, and a boost of workers was welcome under the latest announcement.
“People have been struggling to get the full complement of staff, some of them, and there has been a lot of new people coming into the industry.”
He said while winter was a relatively quiet period for dairy farms, it was important to get staff trained and working ahead of calving season, which hit from late July onward.
Napier Labour MP and Forestry Minister Stuart Nash said the Government had agreed to allow up to 300 silviculture forestry workers and up to 280 wood processors and manufacturers into New Zealand under the announcement.
“The forest planting season runs from May to September and a shortage of workers could limit the number of trees going in the ground, and their survival rates,” he said.
“The forestry industry also needs skilled workers in wood processing and manufacturing.”