Commission investigates alleged exploitation of Fijian workers in Australia

The Fiji Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission has launched an investigation into the working conditions, alleged exploitation, alleged violence and other challenges faced by Fiji citizens who travel abroad to work under seasonal worker schemes.

Commission Chairperson, Pravesh Sharma says the Commission’s investigation will involve liaising with the relevant Fiji and Australian authorities.

He says the Commission expresses grave concern at the death of the 24 year old Fiji female migrant worker who went to Australia to work as part of the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility Visa 403 scheme.

Sharma stresses the circumstances centred around the working conditions of the deceased migrant worker as widely reported, which may have contributed to her death, must be investigated by the authorities concerned.

The Commission has written to the Ministry of Employment, Productivity & Industrial Relations, seeking information concerning the worker’s death since the Ministry is involved in facilitating the migrant worker scheme.

They add globally, migrant workers are vulnerable.

Sharma says the workers work long hours, for low wages, with unsafe working and living conditions without access to healthcare services, and to legal assistance.

He says some workers can be subjected to physical and verbal abuse and racial discrimination.

Sharma adds the workers should have freedom of association and the right to join labour unions.

He also says the question arises as to who is monitoring the conditions in which our Pacific migrant workers are living in and is there a mechanism in place where migrant workers can lodge a complaint of allegations of violence and exploitation.