Title: 'You may bring shame to your family': Australia launches campaign to stop seasonal farm workers absconding Aggressive campaign aimed at Pacific Islanders comes amid claims of 'inhumane conditions' for pickers
Fri 5 Nov 2021 05.00 EDT
The Australian government has launched an aggressive campaign to prevent Pacific Islander farm workers from fleeing their jobs as new figures reveal more than 1,000 seasonal pickers absconded in the past year. The campaign warns pickers they may "bring shame to their families" if they run away from their jobs and they risk having their visa cancelled. "You may not be able to work in Australia again (this may include your family and community members)" , one campaign poster reads. "You may damage the relationship between your country and the employer, and you may bring shame to your family's reputation." It comes as Australia's seasonal worker program is hit with claims it has subjected people to "inhumane conditions", with a class action being built against the government. Each year thousands of migrants from the Pacific Islands are brought to Australia to work on farms picking fruit and vegetables under the program. In the last financial year, 1,181 workers on the program attempted to run away from their employees, which are normally labour hire companies, according to the Department of Education, Skills and Employment (DESE). That is compared to 225 the previous year. Australian farm A DESE spokesperson said the number of people who absconded was not as large as it appeared, as some
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