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Migrant horticulture workers experiencing 'blatant economic exploitation'

9 August, 2022

By Liam Hansen 

According to Amalgamated Workers Union (AWUNZ) spokesperson Michelle Johnstone, workers fear that they will not be allowed back into Aotearoa if they complain about the poor conditions they are enduring. Photo: Canva.

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An investigation by Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner Saunoamaali'i Karanina Sumeo has shown that migrant horticulture workers’ living and employment conditions are dire.  

Workers are reportedly being charged $150 a week to share a room with six other adults. 

The freezing, damp conditions are also allegedly causing workers to fall ill, but they are refused paid sick leave. 

The substandard accommodation has been detrimental to workers' physical health, with one worker reporting their illness wasn’t taken seriously unless they required hospitalisation. 

The sick worker, who is from Vanuatu, continued to have transport costs deducted from their pay, despite not catching the van to work at the vineyard while unwell. 

Sumeo called it "blatant economic exploitation." 

The housing was provided under the Recognised Seasonal Employers (RSE) scheme, which employs 16,000 workers from the Pacific Islands to work in New Zealand's horticulture industry. 

Amalgamated Workers Union (AWUNZ) spokesperson Michelle Johnstone told 95bFM's The Wire that workers fear that they will not be allowed back into New Zealand if they complain about the poor conditions they are enduring.

Because of this, employers are getting away with underpaying workers and charging for personal protective equipment (PPE) such as gear and boots, even though this should be a company cost. 

Johnstone called for employers to work with the union to lift the industry standards for accommodation and pay.

"We certainly need these workers, and we need to treat them with dignity and respect. Bad employers need to be called out and lose their accreditation because it gives the whole industry a bad name." 

Public interest journalism funded through NZ On Air