The U.S. government seeks to address the need for skilled workers in the U.S. and in its territories, particularly Guam, by adding Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu to the list of countries eligible to take part, a statement from the embassy said.
As State Department Director for Australia, New Zealand, and Pacific Island Affairs, U.S Ambassador Steven McGann orchestrated the American effort that led to its designation of 2007 as the “Year of the Pacific.”
As U.S Ambassador to Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Tonga and Tuvalu, McGann has remained focused on solving regional issues, including the key issue of labor mobility, in view of the importance of remittances to the economies of the region.
Under his leadership, the U.S. Embassy in Suva has coordinated U.S. efforts in the Pacific in the areas of labor, public diplomacy, environment, science, health, and technology.
Meanwhile, Fiji’s Labor Ministry is aware of recruiting agencies operating without proper authorization from the ministry under its reformed laws.
While an exact number of those recruiting agencies requested by the Fiji Times were yet to be provided, the ministry confirmed there was a “number of employment agencies” undertaking overseas employment without authorization.
Education and Labor Minister Filipe Bole said while the government’s employment policy fully supported the participation of the private sector in overseas employment, due diligence and care must be exercised in complying with the provisions of the new labor laws by established employment agencies.
“This is to ensure that our people are not exploited in terms of their terms and conditions of employment under their foreign contracts of service, and to also prevent human trafficking or other unlawful forms of labor by unscrupulous operators,” Bole said in a statement yesterday.
“The ministry is stepping up its compliance role in this very important area of labor mobility as part of its strategy to improve the quality and sustainability in the management of labor across borders to enable Fiji to tap this lucrative global market to its full potential in terms of employment, remittances and alleviation of poverty at home.
