Of course there is exploitation of migrant workers – why are Kiwi’s so easily led?
The 3 reasons why migrant workers are being exploited in NZ
Oh for the love of Christ – how on earth is this surprising?
Uncovered: Exploitation of migrant workers rife in NZ
Widespread migrant exploitation has been uncovered in New Zealand with a new report stating workers have been unpaid, denied toilet breaks and subjected to threats and abuse by Kiwi bosses.
More than 100 migrant workers who have fallen victim to exploitation and human trafficking in New Zealand have relayed disturbing accounts of abuse to Auckland University researcher Dr Christina Stringer.
Workers claimed their passports have been confiscated, their movements have been restricted and they’ve been forced to work up to 18 hours a day and live in overcrowded, substandard accommodation.
Some reported being propositioned for sex by employers while others said New Zealand authorities had refused to listen to their pleas for help because they didn’t have the right documentation.
Of course there is exploitation of our migrant work force!
How could any Kiwi pretend otherwise?
These are issues that The Daily Blog has been highlighting for the last 3 years!
We have a corrupt work and student visa system in place bringing in 250 000 migrant workers/students on top of record immigration of 70 000+ each year. We have a Government who are doing this because it keeps their property bubble high and it pushes down labour demands.
This has been purposely but for Christ’s sakes, that the mainstream media only seem to be slowly waking up to the extent of the migrant worker abuse says more about the mainstream media than it does about how wide spread the abuse is.
There is a simple, simple, simple solution – unions. Every migrant worker should be a member of a specially formed migrant worker Union and given the details for that Union when they enter the country. This would immediately eradicate 90% of these abuses and prosecute the remaining 10%.
It is our neoliberal free market immigration system combined with a Government who hate unions that has created an environment as toxic as this is for migrant workers.
Businesses are currently making a mockery of our employment laws and abusing people while we turn a blind eye.
This is New Zealand in 2017. Who knew property investors would be given such power as to warp our entire immigration policy?
NZME is 86% owned by banks – those banks lend for the hyper inflated property bubble, immigration and work/student visa scams help keep that property bubble afloat.
With interests this vested, it’s no wonder the news media are so slow to pick this up.
The three tyrants, and even Bullenglish looks uneasy and out of his comfort zone around such a toxic threesome.
The political system that was introduced to NZ by the British was a system of resource extraction and exploitation of the many by the few.
For a while the narratives of freedom, democracy and egalitarianism obscured the exploitive nature of the system.
Now that world is so grossly overpopulated, now that people are becoming increasingly desperate, and now that governments are increasingly concerned with exploitation of the many by the few and keeping the many from realising what is happening, can we be at all surprised about anything we witness?
As for the media. well it’s their job to keep the masses misinformed and believing in the system, and that is a lot easier now that practically all independent providers of news and commentary have been eliminated and all practically everything mainstream passes through the filters of corporate censorship and brainwashing.
Something should be promptly done to clamp down on these unscrupulous employers, (most coming from the same country they source their migrant work force from), importing their nation’s unethical labour laws into NZ.
A good start would be enforcing strong and strict government laws relating to employment abuse, coming down hard on abusive foreign employers, sending them back to their country of origin, being denied the right of ever coming back to NZ to live, let alone being in a position to exploit workers here again!
However … a strong and forceful government coming down hard on abusive foreign employers …?
Pigs will fly first, just as hell will freeze over at the same time, before this government, which turns a blind eye to employment abuse generally, does anything conducive towards making the work place a safer, fairer place for workers! In fact I’d go so far as to say, government supports this abhorrent, inhumane practice, with little concern or regard for the abused workers involved, or the consequences of their employment abuse!
Our growth is the envy of other western nations apparently, us Rockstars. Maybe those other countries don’t want to imitate our “growth” and the way we achieve it!
Is it not incredible that the corporate media have missed this. But then again I didn’t realise that NZME was essentially a branch of the banks here but it goes a fair way to explaining why they are so the friend of the National Party. One hand washes the other in this cushy little relationship, the old merchant banker, the millionaires and their banker friends!
Is it also not incredible that the National Party have gotten away with this for so long? How dare they pretend they are shocked at this, liars!
They knew damned well this shit was going on because I did, years ago.
Their current immigration settings are that way because the exploitation is needed to provide cheap labour for Nationals donors to keep wages frozen, to keep Unions down and to ensure that even in places like Auckland and Queenstown, where affording rent is now a crisis, they can still have provision of what amounts to slave rates for workers.
The current economic model could not carry on were it not for the tens of thousands of student visa’s for example to keep our shitty service industries alive! They were never here for our low quality courses, they were here to get residency and they would do anything for it!
John Key along with English and Joyce and sundry other Nats knew exactly what they were doing. I go further and say the free trade deal Key so badly wanted with India was for this very reason. Visa free borderline slaves for Nationals business paradise.
I shake my head at the ignorance and or lack of giving a shit by the people of this county whose greed and stupidity think that it is not affecting them!
Good post Martyn.
“Every migrant worker should be a member of a specially formed migrant worker Union and given the details for that Union when they enter the country.”
In Australia in the 70’s (now?) you could not get a job in any of the trades
without first signing up with the union,
Part of any restructure in NZ should make this mandatory.
Cheers.
I say it again, the migrants that are exploited work mostly in jobs that most Kiwis would not find desirable or worth chasing, given the conditions and pay. That is why the government has made it easy for migrants to come and do this kind of work, and that includes overseas students, many of whom are also working every week.
Most Kiwis will try to get jobs that are reasonably well paid, especially those who study and do courses. The middle class enjoys the cheap meals dished up in various ethnic restaurants, enjoys the affordable supermarket prices, enjoys having the option to shop at $2 shops, enjoys their fruit and wine, all prepared, served or picked by the many migrant workers we have.
So as long as it does not affect most Kiwis, most do not care, they actually do not care, as it goes on without being seen by most, being felt by most and being noticed.
Only some at the bottom, the lesser skilled and low paid, they may see these migrants as unfair competition for jobs. But Key did under his government keep the immigration boom going, which feeds on itself, so the more come, the more consumers, the more workers, the larger the market, the higher demand and the more “growth”.
Trouble is such “growth” cannot go on forever, also future generations pay the price by sharing limited resources, and then it will come to the attention of more, when times get tougher, that it was like a Ponzi scheme the whole agenda they followed.
Let the bubble burst, let the knives come out, that is when we will all pay the price, but that time has not yet been reached.
Martyn, this is a great article, you are absolutely correct, and your solution will definitely work.
So, these are the best people to organise your Union of Migrant Workers;
https://iww.org/
The Industrial Workers of the World, or “Wobblies”.
Sorry, but you cannot trust a New Zealand based Union to do this, no disrespect, but as good as they are, and they ARE good, the vision of the present Kiwi Union leadership is VERY limited. They are understaffed, overworked, and yes, they are unavoidably cozy with the present NZ Establishment. Ultimately, this situation developed on their watch, over many years, so that should tell you everything you need to know.
Reach out to the Wobblies. They’re the ballsiest bunch I’ve ever met, and they have a strong base in Australia. They are the best people to help sort this.
And Martyn, this time, I think you’ll actually need to help get this started yourself, or at least assemble a team to help. If you do, you will be rewarded with wonderful human interest stories for years to come as the Wobblies lift the rock on this shit, and these enslaved workers are liberated. You will break a HELL of a lot of riveting stories. That is the key to success, not just brute organising.
Please do this Martyn. Please invite the Wobblies to come and organise here, and help them get established. Please do it yourself, do not involve the present unions, who will no doubt give you a hundred reasons why this could not possibly work. Trust me, I know.
For the sake of these workers, please make this happen.
The laws against these practices are already on the books – the problem is deliberate non-enforcement by criminal establish lackeys like the guilty minister – Woodhouse. That fucker must go.
Then, every kiwi employer employing foreigners should be audited six monthly. Significant penalties for abuses, starting with the obvious loss of the privilege to employ foreign nationals.
This level of labour exploitation should not be tolerated for a moment, and no-one who has profited from such practices should retain a cent of their criminal earnings.