RSE scheme further enhanced
August 5, 2009
‘The Recognised Seasonal Employer Scheme has been a success and the Government’s continued fine-tuning to further assist employers has not only enhanced grower access to RSE employees but also made the scheme better for all involved’, said Tukituki MP Craig Foss.
To further improve the scheme the Government has just announced the establishment of a pilot programme designed to give visiting Pacific Island workers skills that they can use on-farm and take back to home.
“The training programmes will be run outside of working hours and will focus on numeracy, literacy and finance,’ said Mr Foss. ‘This training will help better facilitate communications between growers and their employees, assist with on-farm activities such as quality control, and help with the repatriation of funds back to the Islands. There has also been the perception in the community that RSE workers were being left to fend for themselves in a new country; these initiatives will go someway to alleviating these concerns.
‘Another issue has been the cost-effective repatriation of funds to the islands,’ added Mr Foss. ‘These funds are a valuable lifeline for the workers’ communities and the development of a cost-effective and efficient repatriation process is vital.’
