April 24, 2017
Slavery hui could put spotlight on seasonal workers
Te Taitokerau MP Kelvin Davis says the conditions some seasonal workers put up with could be akin to slavery.
Mr Davis is on his way to London for a three-day international conference on modern slavery and human trafficking.
He says while his immediate concern is around the issue of sexual violence, his Labour colleagues are also keen to hear what comes up about seasonal workers, especially as it might relate to New Zealand's use of workers from the Pacific Islands.
"The conditions they work under are akin to slavery. There are some really heavy restrictions on where they can and can't go. Their pay rates are pretty abysmal – they could be well under the minimum wage. They are made to live crammed up 10 to a house sort of thing. This is an information, fact-finding trip and I will look at what legislation may need to be enacted around these sorts of kaupapa," Mr Davis says.
FULL INTERVIEW WITH KELVIN DAVIS
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