SUVA, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- There are concerns in Fiji that the number of jobs for seasonal work in Australia has stagnated, the government-owned Fiji Broadcasting Corporation (FBC) reported Friday.
Labor, Industrial Relations and Employment Minister Semi Koroilavesau said their suspicions were confirmed this week after 200 jobs were offered to another Pacific island country instead of Fiji.
In 2015, the Australian Seasonal Workers Program employed 133 Fijians, but to date this year, only 26 Fijians have been employed.
"Australia and New Zealand are not too far apart, the farmers and the employers know each other, so there's bad vibes, within the employer community about Fiji, so we're trying to prepare that and at the same time work extensively throughout Fiji to try and change the processes and procedures," Koroilavesau said.
The comments come after a number of stories in Australian media last year questioned the conditions of seasonal workers, some of whom are Fijians who claimed they were paid as little as around 10 U.S. dollars a week, said the FBC.
While relations are good on the political front, Koroilavesau said, the negative publicity has taken its toll.
