Thread by @KaraninaSumeo

RSE workers are either housed in motels & camping ground cabins; rental houses owned by the RSE provider and rented out for RSE workers; & purpose-built units. RSE workers that we spoke to were charged between $150 to $175 per week for accommodation, which included power & water.

RSE Workers’ most frequent question to us was whether this cost was reasonable when the standard practice was for two to seven workers to share a bedroom. In some situations, this meant an employer was charging over $1,000 per week per bedroom.

We visited some of the motels or camping ground cabins rented out by employers which the RSE workers paid in weekly rent. The rooms were often cold, damp, and in some cases mouldy. No one in Aotearoa New Zealand should be living in these conditions!

While electricity was included in the rent, many RSE workers told us that they had purchased heaters because they were too cold. We heard that these heaters were confiscated by some employers to save on electricity bills.

At several rentals, we saw RSE workers huddled together in the living room where only one heater was allowed. In one house, we observed 18 RSE workers sharing a five-bedroom house, each paying $150 per week.

Many RSE workers told us that they were banned from consuming kava for the duration of their employment. We observed formal disciplinary warnings for those RSE workers who were caught having consumed kava in their personal time.

Many RSE workers found the prohibition of drinking kava to be offensive because it is seen as an intrinsic part of many Pacific peoples’ culture. Industry leaders informed us that such bans on kava drinking were necessary to ensure that RSE scheme workers would behave themselves.

As evident, our engagements with RSE workers have revealed serious gaps in the scheme, which may enable a systemic pattern of human rights abuses throughout the country. These potential human rights breaches must be addressed immediately. Here are our recommendations to Govt:

After all, we all want the RSE scheme to be sustainable and beneficial for everyone, including the seasonal workers who contribute hugely to our economic and social wellbeing and prosperity.
#RSEscheme
#migrantexploitation
#modernslavery
rnz.co.nz/news/national/…