Tomorrow, Saturday, June 5, 2021 at 3 pm from Aotea Centre
Staff Reporter
Auckland, June 4, 2021
Three organisations have planned a protest march in favour of migrant workers stranded overseas and a call to end their exploitation in New Zealand.
Amplifying workers’ voices
Organised by the Federation of Aotearoa Migrants, comprising the Association of New Kiwis Aotearoa (ANKA), Migrant Workers Association (MWA), Migrant Rights Network (MRN), Unite Union and Auckland Action Against Poverty (AAAP), the Programme will begin with a gathering at Aotea Square on Queen Street at 3 pm and then the participants will march through central Auckland.
Federation National Spokesperson Anu Kaloti said that over the years, migrants have been holding events, protests, submitted petitions, and met with MPs and Ministers to shine the light on the plight of migrants and expose our broken immigration system.
“To further amplify the migrant voices, earlier this year many migrant groups came together as a united front merged as FAM – The Federation of Aotearoa Migrants. The Federation organised a series of candlelit vigils in many cities and a large protest outside the Parliament last May, exposing grievous migrants’ unsolved issues caused by this shameful immigration scheme,” she said.
Action Points for the Government
Ms Kaloti quoted Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern as saying with reference to migrant workers, “This is their home.”
“We need meaningful and actionable steps from the government to follow the Prime Minister’s kind words,” she said and outlined issues that have remained unsolved as follows: (1) It has been over a year and migrants are still stranded offshore – Bring them back (2) The ever-moving goal post of getting residence – Give residence now to those already here (3) Migrant worker exploitation is never-ending – Detach visas from employers (4) Visa processing delays cause havoc for migrant lives – allocate more resources at Immigration New Zealand (INZ) (5) Unite separated families – Reset immigration Policy and overhaul INZ and (6) Provide a one-off amnesty for overstayers.
