People attend a protest over the exploitation of migrant workers in front of Ethnic Communities Minister Priyanca Radhakrishnan's office in Auckland on Saturday. Photo: RNZ / Gaurav Sharma
Advocates for migrant workers facing exploitation are turning up the heat on the government as it heads towards a tough election.
They found an ally in Green Party immigration spokesperson Ricardo Menéndez March at a protest outside the Onehunga-based Auckland office of Ethnic Communities Minister Priyanca Radhakrishnan on Saturday.
Menéndez March minced no words when addressing the gathering, telling the crowd he had had "enough of reviews".
The Greens spokesperson was feeding off a demand put forward by Migrant Workers Association president Anu Kaloti earlier in the day. Kaloti had called on the government to stop endlessly reviewing the causes behind exploitation in New Zealand.
"We don't understand how many more reviews need to happen," Kaloti said. "Everyone knows the issues. Everyone knows the fixes. The practice of tying visas to a single employer must stop. There must be amnesty for overstayers. There should be clearly defined pathways for residency for migrant workers."
Bharti Kaloti of the Migrant Workers Association went so far as to call Radhakrishnan a "useless MP".
"This Labour government is not working for labourers at all," he said. "Ethnic communities are getting exploited in New Zealand while the minister of ethnic communities is sleeping."
Anu Kaloti said Radhakrishnan's office was aware of the protest but had elected not to attend.
Sher Singh from Migrant Rights Network said the government was "directly responsible" for the migrant exploitation crisis faced by New Zealand today".
"(The government) knew from day one what will happen if they implement the AEWV (Accredited Employer Work Visa), but still they went ahead and implemented it because of pressure from businesses," he said. "There was no research … or any feedback sought from anyone working in (migrant) worker rights' space."
Asked to explain the Greens' position on the issue given its alliance with the government, Menéndez March tried to take an open tack.
"We have a cooperation agreement with Labour this term," he said. "But they have a majority of their own, (and) were able to pursue any policy they pleased. However, this will not always be the case.
"In any future government that we are part of, where Labour needs our support to govern, the Greens will make sure that stopping migrant exploitation is at the top of the government's agenda.
"Decoupling work visas from single employers so that no migrant feels trapped in an exploitative workplace is our top priority," he said, adding that the government should do more to weed out unscrupulous offshore agents.
On Monday, Radhakrishnan said "any exploitation of migrants in Aotearoa New Zealand is unacceptable and is a crime".
"This government remains committed to stamping out migrant worker exploitation," she said. "Minister Little has already announced an independent review of the AEWV."
Radhakrishnan noted that her office has been working to end migrant worker exploitation this term.
"In 2020, the Temporary Migrant Worker Exploitation Review was established, and in 2021 new tools came into effect to support migrants to leave exploitative situations," she said. "This includes the dedicated 0800 number to report exploitation, a reporting and triaging webform, and the Migrant Exploitation Protection Visa.
"In June, I passed the Worker Protection (Migrant and Other Employees) Act, which brings in new immigration infringement offences for low-level breaches. This is important because lower-level breaches often lead to more serious exploitation.
"More recently, I have asked the Ministry of Ethnic Communities to check in with organisations that are supporting affected migrant workers to ensure that they have the support they need."