‘Exploitation’ of graduate and overseas nurses
An Australian union for nurses has called on the federal government to protect overseas nurses working in Australia who are victims of underpayments and exploitation.
Representatives from the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) appeared before a Senate Inquiry into Temporary Work Visas last week to also raise concerns about the impact of temporary migrant labour on Australian nursing graduates.
ANMF federal secretary, Lee Thomas, claims the failure of Australia's economy to provide work for new graduates at a time when employers continue to access large numbers of nurses on temporary work visa arrangements is unacceptable.
“The current policy that allows access to offshore labour when an Australian worker is available to fill a position needs to be addressed,” Ms Thomas says.
The ANMF urged the Committee to make recommendations for appropriate changes to regulation that would strengthen the requirement for employers to utilise local workers before going offshore.
“We will also raise serious concerns about the levels of exploitation of migrants working as nurses in Australia. In particular, the ANMF will provide witness evidence from 457 nurses who have been grossly underpaid and faced exorbitant fees to secure permanent residency,” she says.
“These examples will highlight how the current 457 scheme was being cynically exploited by some local employers, particularly in the aged care and private hospital sectors.
“Not only have these 457 workers been blatantly ripped off by their employer under paying them, but they’ve also allegedly been asked to hand over thousands of dollars to help secure permanent residency.”
According to Ms Thomas, unfortunately, the issue is not uncommon and is just an example of how some unscrupulous employers are exploiting the 457 system to hire overseas nurses on cheaper pay rates.
“This effectively is creating a new underclass of nurses, who receive less pay for doing the same work as others.
“We accept there is the need for the use of temporary skilled migration to fill short term shortages in the nursing workforce, but the ANMF continues to call for strong policy and regulatory settings to ensure that employers are required to genuinely look locally for their nurses and midwives before going offshore for labour.”
The ANMF, along with other nursing professional and regulatory authorities, are increasingly concerned that the high numbers of temporary migrant workers is impacting employment opportunities for Australia's “highly educated” Australian nurses, with 3,000 graduates still reportedly unable to find work.
