Immigration rules must focus on workers’ rights, not just cater to businesses’ needs

The Green Party welcomes the Government’s decision to remove specific qualification requirements to enable more skilled chefs to come to Aotearoa, and calls for more action to improve working conditions for everyone who works in hospitality.

“Our migrant chefs are part of the fabric of rich cuisine in Aotearoa. They bring their culture and experiences, and the previous immigration settings did not reflect this by excluding chefs without very specific qualifications,” Green Party immigration spokesperson Ricardo Menendez March said.

“The Government’s immigration changes better recognise the diverse backgrounds chefs have and will see more migrants’ contributions treated with respect, but more needs to be done to ensure the rights of all hospitality workers are upheld.

“As long as visas remain tied to single employers, chefs and other migrants remain at risk of exploitation by employers. We know from our inquiry into migrant exploitation that these sorts of arrangements can result in conditions of modern day slavery.

“Hospitality is a precarious industry and the Government must take more action to improve the working conditions of hospitality workers across the board. Fair pay agreements, further minimum wage increases, default opt-out union membership, and legislation to end wage theft can all play a role to improve the conditions of hospitality workers.

“The Government needs to listen closer to the experiences of migrant workers when making decisions, instead of prioritising the needs of businesses. Migrants are more than economic units to support business owners to make a profit. Immigration settings must help ensure workers are treated with the respect and dignity that they deserve.”

Latest Immigration Announcements

Story

Govt changes fall short of what’s needed for migrant protection

The Green Party will keep up the fight to support exploited migrant workers, including pushing to end single employer visas, after the government p...
Read More

Story

Government must ban dawn raids and grant amnesty

The Green Party is calling on the Government to follow up words with actions, and ban the practice of dawn raids and provide an amnesty to all over...
Read More

Story

Concerns as people most likely to be exploited are left out of pathways to residency

The Green Party is urging the Government to fix the immigration system to ensure that low-waged, and often essential workers, are guaranteed a path...
Read More

Story

Greens secure greater protections for exploited migrant workers

The Green Party is pleased that the Government has adopted an amendment that would guarantee migrants are not adversely affected when holding explo...
Read More

Story

The time is now for overstayer amnesty

With the alarming number of Dawn Raids occurring, the Green Party is calling on the Minister to immediately grant an amnesty to all overstayers.
Read More

Story

Labour must come to table on RSE residency

The Green Party welcomes National’s support of residency pathways to RSE workers, and is urging Labour to join this emerging cross-party consensus.
Read More