Solution found to Lyttleton issue

Associate Minister of Immigration Damien O’Connor has granted temporary work permits to six Lithuanian tradesmen so that urgent work on a vessel in Lyttleton dry-docks can be completed.

Mr O’Connor said the decision had been taken in consultation with Immigration Minister Paul Swain and Banks Peninsula MP Ruth Dyson. The tradesmen will leave New Zealand as soon as the work is completed and the ship leaves Lyttleton.

“The tradesmen should have applied for temporary work permits, not visitor visas, if they were to work on the ship. This is why their permits were revoked on Friday and they were ordered to stop work.

“There has been some confusion around the original application. The tradesmen’s employer and its agent have been advised about the correct procedure and they have stated there was no intention to mislead immigration officials. They have also undertaken to make sure that the correct procedures are followed in future,” Mr O’Connor said.

“The application to grant the tradesmen temporary work permits had the support of a local engineering firm and the Lyttleton Port company. They both stated that such work brings millions of dollars into the area each year and creates a large number of local jobs.”

The Engineering, Print and Manufacturing Union and the Rail and Maritime Union also supported the application, Mr O’Connor said. The unions have said that in this case local jobs are not threatened. Relevant unions are consulted on a case-by-case basis to determine the impact of foreign labour on local jobs before temporary work permits are granted.

Mr O’Connor said that he was pleased that the situation had been resolved to the satisfaction of all those involved.

“The government’s policy is that foreign workers, such as this group, will only be used when it is proven there are no New Zealanders available who can do the job. The government has skills training as a top priority but with unemployment at a record low of 3.8 per cent, there are some labour shortages, as in this case, and our policies need to be flexible enough to take this into account,” Mr O’Connor said.