workers

Qantas illegally fired 1,700 workers at start of pandemic, court rules

The court unanimously upheld that the carrier had unlawfully laid off staff at 10 airports in 2020.

The ruling found that Qantas breached Australia's Fair Work Act, which protects employee rights.

Qantas said the outsourcing was a necessary financial measure.

The airline has faced public outrage in recent weeks, after reaping record profits despite a series of scandals related to its actions throughout the pandemic.

Samoa govt fears labour drain after Canberra offers work visas

It comes as the government tries to find out how a group of workers were able to depart for New Zealand for seasonal work, despite the temporary ban on the regional seasonal employer scheme.

RNZ Pacific reports Tuala Iosefo Ponifasio told the Parliament in Apia that the Australian Government made the announcement on new visas without consulting the Samoan Government.

He said this would hurt the Samoan labour workforce and lead to the loss of more skilled workers and their families to Australia permanently.

American Samoa seeking workers from Samoa

The shortage of workers at the cannery since the start of the year, prompted StarKist Samoa to seek government permission to hire from Samoa, under the Guest Workers Permit law.

StarKist Samoa officials were in Apia more than a week ago to conduct recruitment and reports from Samoa indicates that were some 600 applicants.

 

 

Photo: Fili Sagapolutele  Caption: American Samoa's Lieutenant Governor Talauega Eleasalo Ale

     

Big brand workers going hungry due to Covid-19 poverty

Lower incomes and unemployment caused by the Covid-19 pandemic have forced garment workers across the world further into poverty and imperilled their access to food, a new study has found.

A survey of almost 400 workers making clothes for big-name brands including Adidas, GAP, H&M, Nike and Gildan found that "declining incomes are leading to widespread hunger among workers and their families".

Australia to employ 7 Samoans at meat processing plant

This is an opportunity for the young men to provide for their families, and the goal is to strengthen partnerships between Australia and the Pacific island countries while working in these remote areas of Australia.

The Australian High Commissioner to Samoa, Sara Moriarty said Samoa’s participation in the Scheme would help to deepen the friendship between Australia and Samoa.

“This is an opportunity for Samoans to gain important skills, training and income that they can take back to their families and communities,” Ms Moriarty said.

Silverfern Farm strengthens relationship with Samoa

Balclutha is very close to the southern tip of New Zealand’s South Island, and despite the chilling temperature in the South Island, the Prime Minister braved the cold weather and travelled for more than an hour from Dunedin to meet the management and our Samoan workers working with the Silverfern Farm. 

Silverfern is the home to 60 Samoan workers who have been hired under the Approval In Principle (AIP) arrangement for more than 10 years now. 

Yazaki Samoa workers association to discuss closure benefits

Yazaki Samoa, which employs 740 workers, said it would be closing before the end of 2017.

RNZ reports Yazaki general Manager, Funefe'ai Oliva Vaai, said a final package would be paid out to employees when the closure happens.

But employees who decide to resign beforehand will miss out.

Uelese Tupuola said members of his association and company management are holding discussions on how best to move forward.