Government considers banning foreign fishing crews

The Government is considering banning foreign fishermen after a surge in overseas crew jumping ships, Associate Immigration Minister Damien O'Connor said today.

The New Zealand Immigration Service says 62 foreign crew members, mainly Vietnamese and Indonesians, have deserted their ships from South Island ports over the past two months.

A total of 152 foreign fishermen jumped ship in the past year.

Mr O'Connor said today the Government had been aware of the problem for some time.

"It is fuelled by a downturn in the industry and payment to crew," he told NZPA.

"Bonuses have been less and the fishermen no doubt see greater opportunities on shore with the very buoyant labour market."

The Government had successfully prosecuted syndicates of illegal workers in the past and was now investigating whether information about jobs within New Zealand was being passed on to fishing crew.

"No government can turn a blind eye or tolerate this ongoing behaviour," Mr O'Connor said.

The Government would be working with the fishing industry over the next few weeks.

"We want to sort this out as quickly as possible."

New Zealand had recently tightened up immigration laws and now issued only single rather than multiple entry work visas, he said.

The Government was also considering making fishing companies pay a bond for each worker which they would lose if the foreign crew member jumped ship.

The Department of Labour is to conduct an investigation after concerns were raised about the conditions on the boats. The department is to examine whether ships complied with New Zealand labour and immigration laws.

National immigration spokesman Tony Ryall said today the ship jumpers was a worsening problem.

"This is symptomatic that New Zealand is increasingly seen as a soft touch for illegal immigrants," he told NZPA.

"Not only are we seeing it with ship people but with refugees and others trying to get into New Zealand and relying on our soft immigration laws."

The authorities had to keep a closer eye on overseas workers and fishing companies needed to look at their responsibilities, Mr Ryall said.

Five thousand work permits were issued to overseas fishermen last year and a ban on overseas crews was not going to fix the problem because there was a skills shortage in all areas, he said.

"The Government needs to look at better ideas than that."

The Christchurch branch of the Immigration Service has 106 missing foreign fishermen on its books.

Thirteen overstayers, including nine ship jumpers, were arrested in Blenheim last week.

Marlborough Contractors' Federation chairman Bob Lee said the industry had "an inkling" there was organisation behind illegal workers coming to Marlborough, including those jumping ships at South Island ports.

"It has to be orchestrated. All you have to do is do your sums," he said.

The industry had lost 600 workers when special work permit variations expired two months ago and approximately 100 new permits had since been issued, but there was a large number of workers in Marlborough vineyards.

"Where are the rest coming from?" he asked.

The federation was concerned that those who employed illegal workers were seldom prosecuted.

Maritime Union general secretary Trevor Hanson said an upsurge in Chinese shipping had increased the number of foreign crew members jumping ship.

Many foreign crews were badly paid and forced to live in poor on-board conditions, he said.

"It is often a case of them coming here, seeing the country and deciding that this is a much better place than what they are used to."

Mr Hanson said the Maritime Union often received anonymous complaints from foreign shipworkers regarding living conditions.

But they often faced a wall of silence when investigating the ships.

"It's about fear, and what can happen to their families back home," he said.

- NZPA