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Temporary Labour Mobility in Australia and the Pacific Islands a Discussion Paper by Union Aid Abroad October 2017

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Temporary Labour Mobility in Australia and the Pacific Islands a Discussion Paper by Union Aid Abroad October 2017 Union Aid Abroad APHEDA The global justice organisation of the Australian union movement TEMPORARY LABOUR MOBILITY IN AUSTRALIA AND THE PACIFIC ISLANDS A discussion paper by Union Aid Abroad October 2017 14011_Union Aid Abroad Document Oct 2017_V2.indd 1 1/11/17 4:16 pm Temporary labour mobility in Australia and the Pacific Islands © Copyright Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA First published by Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA in 2017 Level 3, 377-383 Sussex Street, Sydney NSW 2000 Australia www.apeda.org.au Design: Metrographics Authored by: Katie Hepworth and Nic Maclellan for Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA 14011_Union Aid Abroad Document Oct 2017_V2.indd 2 1/11/17 4:16 pm Union Aid Abroad 1 Contents Page 2 Executive summary Page 5 Introduction Page 8 PART ONE: THE RISE OF TEMPORARY LABOUR 1. Pacific workers on the move 2. Temporary labour migration in Australia 3. Temporary migration and exploitation in the horticulture sector 4. The Pacific Seasonal Worker Program Page 18 PART TWO: WORKER EXPLOITATION AND UNION RESPONSES 5. Risk of worker exploitation in the SWP CASE STUDY 1: Bonded contracts CASE STUDY 2: Right of return in Canada 6. Union involvement in the SWP CASE STUDY 3: Union solidarity CASE STUDY 4: Portable union membership Page 27 PART THREE: NEW FRONTIERS FOR PACIFIC LABOUR MIGRATION 7. Ageing, Disability and Home Care (ADHC) 8. Alternative visa schemes for Pacific Island workers in non-seasonal sectors 9. Skilling up for labour mobility: the Australian-Pacific Technical College (APTC) and the Australian aid program CASE STUDY 5: KANI Page 33 PART FOUR: CLIMATE CHANGE AND LABOUR MIGRATION 10. “We don’t want to be Climate Change Refugees” 11. Migration with Dignity 12. The Seasonal Worker Program as a climate change adaptation program CASE STUDY 6: VEGAid after Cyclone Pam 14011_Union Aid Abroad Document Oct 2017_V2.indd 1 1/11/17 4:16 pm 2 Temporary labour mobility in Australia and the Pacific Islands Executive summary Pacific workers are on the move. The rise of temporary labour migration from the Since 2007, increasing numbers of islands region poses challenges and opportunities Pacific Island workers have begun for the Australian labour movement. In this paper, Union Aid Abroad – APHEDA details the current arriving in Australia through the temporary labour schemes for Pacific Island Seasonal Worker Program to work in workers, and identifies new frontiers of Pacific the horticultural sector. Since 2015, Island mobility: the Ageing, Disability and Home the Australian government has proposed Care sector and climate change induced mobility. an expansion of this seasonal labour Union Aid Abroad – APHEDA argues that labour program into other sectors of the mobility is a mode of solidarity for our neighbours economy and created new access – which are some of the most aid dependent schemes for workers from three nations in the world. The World Bank, Asian smaller island states (Kiribati, Tuvalu Development Bank and the ILO have recognised and Nauru). the Pacific Island countries will be unable to meet the employment needs of their growing populations. With the exception of Papua New Guinea, the small size of Pacific Island nations, their remoteness from major markets, and their dispersed domestic geographies, limits the potential growth of the formal economy. Australia is the largest development and trading partner to the region: in 2015–16 it provided three quarters of all overseas development aid (ODA) to the Solomon Islands, half of all ODA to Fiji and over 60 per cent to Vanuatu. By contrast, remittances already make up a key part of the economy for some island nations – on latest figures, Tonga was the fourth highest recipient of remittances in the world, with 27.9 per cent of GDP. Samoa, with remittances at 17.6 per cent of GDP, ranked 12th in the world.1 A well-designed labour mobility program for the whole region has the potential to reduce the region’s dependency on foreign aid, and specifically, on aid from Australia. A labour mobility program – including in-country education and training up to Australian standards – should be integrated with the broader aid and development program for the region. A well-designed migration program will also support communities at the front lines of climate change to adapt to the impacts of a changing climate. With agriculture and livelihoods on some 14011_Union Aid Abroad Document Oct 2017_V2.indd 2 1/11/17 4:16 pm Union Aid Abroad 3 islands quickly becoming unsustainable, any labour mobility program for the region should be designed to enable Pacific Islanders to “migrate with dignity.” Recommendations Labour mobility will not be able to positively > Labour mobility must be considered support development across the region if as an integral part of the Australian workers are exploited. When media reports development program for the Pacific, and have documented cases of worker exploitation, understood as providing decent work and industry’s common response has been to blame development opportunities for Pacific Island a few “bad apples”, rather than address the communities. fundamental imbalance of power between an employer and a non-citizen worker. > Pacific Island workers must be aware of their workplace rights under Australian law and Temporary migrant workers face the same be given information on how to access their challenges as Australian workers – around pay, rights. To this end, unions must be involved conditions and health and safety in the workplace in pre-departure or post-arrival briefings to – but without the rights and protections of enable workers’ to join their relevant union citizens, and generally with less understanding of prior to beginning work in Australia. local labour laws, taxation and superannuation systems. Australian and Pacific Island unions > The Seasonal Worker Program (SWP) must must be involved in any future expansion of labour address structural issues that impact on mobility schemes to ensure that the experiences workers’ ability to exercise their workplace of workers – and the families and communities rights. It is not enough to inform workers’ they support at home – are taken into account. of their rights under Australian law – the scheme must also limit repercussions faced The role of labour mobility in supporting by workers when exercising those rights. development throughout the region has Most significantly, it must address workers’ been promoted by a number of international fears regarding loss of income from the organisations – including the ILO and the World early termination of a season, or exclusion Bank. However, in their reports, the experiences from future seasons. These changes include: of workers are conspicuously absent. In August 2016, the inaugural Pacific Labour Mobility Annual - Sectoral visas rather than employer- Meeting was held in Christchurch. Despite a based visas, to allow workers to formal commitment to tripartitism throughout transfer their employment between the region, unions were excluded from these employers within the same sector, discussions. rather than being tied to a single employer. This will allow workers to This paper seeks to foreground the experiences speak up about workplace grievances of Pacific Island workers and communities. without fear of loss of employment. It highlights the experiences of workers in the current Seasonal Worker Program (SWP), in order to make recommendations for the future expansion of labour mobility from across the region to Australia. > Continued next page 14011_Union Aid Abroad Document Oct 2017_V2.indd 3 1/11/17 4:16 pm 4 Temporary labour mobility in Australia and the Pacific Islands - The in-country recruitment process > All labour mobility schemes must include must be transparent, and workers must access to permanent migration pathways be given a ‘right of return’ to ensure that to ensure that workers do not become workers are not penalised for exercising “permanently temporary” – living in Australia their workplace rights, being allowed to year after year without ever being able to apply return for second and subsequent periods for citizenship. of seasonal work. > Federal and state governments should > The specific characteristics of care work introduce licensing of labour hire companies, in aged care and disability services make it including the creation of a public register of unsuitable for short-term visas. In recognition licensed labour hire providers and legislation of this, the seasonal worker program should requiring companies to reveal the real not be extended to these sectors. Instead, beneficial owners of a labour hire business. separate migration pathways that are Labour hire contractors must meet and be able integrated with in-country vocational education to demonstrate compliance with all workplace, programs supported through the Australian aid employment, tax, and superannuation laws in program should be developed in consultation order to gain a license. with Pacific Island governments and unions. > The Australian government should develop an integrated policy for climate change induced mobility. This policy should incorporate existing temporary migration schemes for skilled and unskilled workers, as these offer opportunities for workers (and their communities) to develop in-situ adaptation strategies and resist relocation. However, in recognition that some communities may have no other option than relocation, the government must introduce permanent migration pathways for Pacific Islanders. The migration policy must be developed in consultation with the Australian aid
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