Editorial: A move in the right direction

OPINION: The Recognised Seasonal Employee scheme with Pacific Island countries was designed to solve two problems; labour in the vineyards and a lack of earning power in New Zealand's near neighbours.

On the whole it has worked out well. There have been teething problems, including some abuse of workers and some workers being unsuitable for the job. It is not easy work, given people are away from their families, in an unfamiliar setting and required to carry out manual labour for months on end to a certain standard.

It is also not an easy job employing large numbers of people from a different culture, who need to be settled and productive. It is also an expensive business.

Because of all these elements, some areas of looking after workers have gone wrong. This is not a common situation and it would be fair to say most workers have a good experience of Marlborough vineyards. Reports on the scheme indicate a considerable percentage of workers want to come back and do a second stint.

However there have been issues with accommodation and other aspects of worker conditions. The Marlborough District Council has moved to shore up some of these anomalies by bringing in a raft of rules by which accommodation providers must abide. These rules will cover not only RSE workers, but all people working in the vineyards.

The rules will include an actual definition of what worker accommodation is, which is crucial. There can be no weaseling out of obligations through loopholes. A house with 10 vineyard workers in it can not be regarded as ordinary housing.

There is also acknowledgement of the potential for disruption to neighbourhoods from worker accommodation of a significant size. Worker accommodation has to go somewhere, but piling it into one street of a residential neighbourhood is not a good idea. There is an argument it should be near the work, that is, near the vineyards, but being stuck in a rural setting may not be the best for workers.

The council will now talk to people about the new standards and it is likely they will be introduced in time for the 2010 pruning season.

This is a good move by council. However, one accommodation provider has suggested the rules should be bylaws, which would give them added potency.

And he may well be right. If the rules don't work, and they are broken with little consequence, it will be time for the council to revisit the issue and put some muscle behind them.

That can only be with bylaws. Bylaws may well be more expensive but abuse of workers is not something the province needs.

Now is an opportunity for everyone to improve their game. There are minimum standards now in place and there can be no excuse for those not being met.

Far better to be known as a place of opportunity, rather than exploitation.

- The Marlborough Express