One of Australia's answers to its dwindling workforce problem is finding itself Shanghaied. And unsurprisingly it is the Chinese migrant worker that is bearing the burden once again.
The case of Fu Zhi Hong and the Shanghai Overseas Employment Service is documented by The Sydney Morning Herald's Nick O'Malley..
A CHINESE worker was made to sign a contract that bans him from making anyone pregnant, drunkenness, "trouble-making" and joining in political or union activity. Fu Zhi Hong, a printer on a 457 visa, signed a contract with a Chinese employment agent banning "for personal reasons resulting in pregnancy or impregnating others and inflicting physical or mental harm on others". He was later sacked by his Melbourne employer, Lakeside Packaging, after breaking his wrists. When he signed up to work in Australia Mr Fu was required to pay $21,000 to his agent, the Shanghai Overseas Employment Service, and to pay for his air fares to Australia. A Senate estimates committee hearing this week heard Mr Fu's contract with the agent also forbade him from seeking new employment in Australia, breaking migration regulations.
Along with this, Fu Zhi Hong was banned from impregnating anyone, drunkenness, "trouble-making", and joining in union or political activities. In my opinion that appears incongruous behaviour for the average Aussie worker anywhere in the world and is definitely worthy of the label 'un-Australian'.
Australia is a country undergoing a radical up-turn in economic fortune, but at the same time is facing an employment shortage crisis due to a troika of declining population growth, lack of skilled workers in key growth areas, and the imminent retirement of Australia's ageing workforce.
One measure to counter this situation has been the implementation of the temporary migrant visa subclass 457. This allows semiskilled and skilled foreign workers to temporarily enter Australia for the course of employment. Both China and India are commonly cited sources of foreign workers entering Australia under this employment scheme.
The implementation of this visa subclass has highlighted a number of concerns surrounding opportunity and welfare of both local and foreign workers. These include...
- poorly-skilled foreign workers do not meet Australian work practices and safety standards.
- accusations that imported labour suppresses wages and employment opportunities for local workers.
- recent revelations that foreign workers are subjected to conditions in-breach of basic Australian rights that include rights to association, personal relationships, standardised working conditions, and equal remuneration for work performed.
Chinese workers have thus forged an unfortunate reputation for linked to substandard work quality, unsafe workplace practices, or being exploited themselves. Not unlike being back at home for many of China's migrant workers you may say?
One repeated accusation levelled by many critics of this visa subclass is that in some cases that the Australian government and public service have approved the importation of foreign employment agents subject workers to contract conditions that are in complete breach of Australian law and human rights conventions.
The Australian Federal Government has issued several statements outlining their support for the rights of foreign workers living in Australia under the 457 permit scheme.
During Australia's 11th Joint Ministerial Economic Commission (JMEC) meeting with China, Federal Trade Minister Warren Truss had this to say regarding the topic of foreign labour market in Australia and China's role.
Well certainly for the first time in many, many decades Australia has a labour shortage, and in particular we have a need to increase the number of people with skills who are available in our workforce. Whilst we will continue to give priority to training Australians and developing their skills, we recognise that there is a contribution that people from other parts of the world can make to our skills base.
There are already a number of Chinese workers in Australia and we certainly see potential for other skilled Chinese to play a role in our workforce. Now that will obviously be managed in the context of our workforce policy and the rules that we put in place in relation to the terms and circumstances under which overseas people are allowed to work in Australia. But I think we've demonstrated in good faith a willingness to include Chinese people in our workforce.
In fact, if you go back to ancient history, there have always been Chinese workers playing a significant role in Australia. This is a new era now of substantial growth, when the demands on our workforce are substantial, and I certainly see the potential for Chinese workers to be a part of the national workforce in the years ahead under the same rules and terms and conditions as apply to other people working in this country.
Federal Immigration Minister, Amanda Vandstone recently announced a AUD$23.5 million funding increase to ensure the policing of the terms of this policy. As an example cited the case of another Chinese worker Jack Zhang and his case of exploitation as evidence the Australian government was serious about policing the terms of employment under Australian law.
However critics of this visa system have highlighted several areas in which these breaches have been allowed to occur and have questioned why further action hasn't been taken. AMWU National Secretary Doug Cameron called for further action on dodgy employers and employment agents.
"They have been completely desensitised to human problems," he said. Under the visa rules, the harshest sanction is to prevent the employer sponsoring more temporary migrant workers. No criminal sanctions apply".
The Federal Opposition along with several of Australia's union's have led calls for reform about the visa program to ensure that foreign workers must be subject to Australian work practices and rights, and to implement an outright ban on overseas-based agencies contracting workers for employment in Australia.
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