Sealord seeking housing for workers
Nelson’s lack of housing is another hurdle for Sealord to overcome after undergoing a severe labour shortage.
The company has been allocated 180 overseas worker visas to fill seafood processing jobs at its Nelson factory.
This will help to rectify a worker shortage, which saw senior staff and office workers pitch in to help on the supply floor of Sealord’s wet fish factory after 300 vacancies were left unfilled.
However, the region’s housing crisis means accommodation for these workers is in short supply, and Sealord human resources general manager Dawn Cooper is calling for accommodation providers in Nelson to get in touch.
Cooper said the visa allocation was part of the Government’s new seafood sector agreement providing 600 visas for seafood process workers in the fishing industry.
Sealord was pleased to be part of the scheme, Cooper said, and had worked closely with Seafood NZ and the Government on dealing with skill shortages in the industry.
The visas would make a big difference in the factories, she said, and would be essential during the hoki season peak from May to September.
‘‘This year during our busy hoki season, we were 200 roles short despite our CEO, senior team and other office workers volunteering for factory shifts.’’
However, the next ‘‘big challenge’’ was finding accommodation for the workers, she said, with workers from Vietnam expected to arrive for hoki season next year.
Cooper said the company wanted to hear from accommodation providers that could offer group housing with single bedrooms and shared cooking facilities for about $150 to $200 per week per person.
Sealord would also like to hear from people in the community interested in providing board in their own homes, she said.