By Staff Writer
Faleolo International Airport has a ‘busy’ schedule for the first quarter of the year with close to 20 travel flights landing and taking off during the COVID pandemic period .
Most are to do with flying out seasonal workers to New Zealand or Australia for farm work up to at least 6 months.
Air New Zealand has lined up 7 flights to New Zealand within the three months period to fly out the workers from Samoa while Qantas has 8 for those working in Australia.
Only three of the flights are scheduled for the repatriation of travelers and they are all taking off from New Zealand for Faleolo International.
To the former Labour Minister, Lautafi Selafi Purcell, the busy scheduling of flights for seasonal workers points to an increasing demand for Samoan labour and cause to be wary.
Lautafi is guarded at the thought it is easy to overlook the benefit for workers of fair salaries and better living conditions by the increase in recruitment of workers.
“Our Cabinet before the change of Government had already agreed to a full review of the scheme after the fiasco at the EFKS Youth Hall when 10,000 people broke down glass doors in a rush to register for the scheme,” Lautafi remembered back.
“Several people were injured so it was critical that the need for work does not lead to workers abuse.”
Lautafi was uncomfortable by suspicious murmurs but they were coming from working groups and locations in other island workers under the scheme.
The murmurs were felt to be coming mostly from Australian farms where past incidents have been reported in the past.
“New Zealand is alright, the concerns appear to be mostly in Australia.
“We had at the time got in contact with Australia’s Ministry of Labour for their input and they were able to look into the reports and confirmed any lack of abuse or complaints.”
The former Minister recalls how island Governments remained firm and vigilant to any hints of workers mistreatment under the scheme.