Wellington sees the recognized seasonal employer scheme as charity, but Washington views it as verging on human trafficking and debt-bonded labor.
This comes as the U.S. State Department’s latest international report on human trafficking condemned the use of forced labor on foreign charter fishing boats, exposed by the Sunday Star-Times.
Last week U.S. Human Trafficking Ambassador Luis CdeBaca came with a delegation to talk with government officials, unions and lobby groups.
No statement followed, but sources say the Americans were alarmed at a lack of recognition of trafficking in New Zealand.
The Americans are investigating bonds used to bring minimum wage workers from Tonga, Samoa, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands.
“The burden of illegal costs and debts on these laborers in the source country, often with the support of labor agencies and employers in the destination country, can contribute to a situation of debt bondage,” a source said.
Seasonal Solutions Cooperative, the largest importer of seasonal labor, says in its annual report that bringing in seasonal labor gives farmer members of the cooperative a real choice over workers.
“As a consequence, these growers have seen their productivity elevated to unprecedented levels,” Seasonal Solutions says.
The company did not return calls for comment on human trafficking.
The Americans also believe trafficking of sex workers — especially from Asia — is taking place.
But Catherine Healy of Prostitutes Collective told them the collective does not believe this.
“We haven’t come across sex workers who are victims of trafficking yet,” she said, adding the word trafficking was “such a dramatic catch-all.”
“What we are asking for is old-fashioned labor rights.
“We explained that sometimes sex workers are made to work exceptionally long shifts and have their money withheld by some brothel operators.”
Healy said some managers and operators are “dreadful to work for” and the Department of Labor should deal with them.
The collective told the Americans it was pleased sex workers had the right to say yes to sex work and that this was getting rid of exploitation.
“[CdeBaca] acknowledged it was important to not conflate prostitution and trafficking, as has been our recent experience in dealing with the American administration and their overall response to sex work.”
The American delegation told New Zealand officials that slavery at sea remained prevalent and may have increased, and that some owners of Asian fishing fleets and seafood companies were relying on forced labor to harvest ever-diminishing fish stocks.
They capitalized on unclear jurisdictions and difficulties inspecting boats in deep water.
The Americans said fishing was becoming unsustainable economically, and needed semi-slave crews to survive.
Without a coordinated effort, the enslavement of foreign migrants would continue.
