Under the Pacific Labour Scheme, a program approved by the Federal Government in 2018, the plant will employ more low and semi-skilled workers from Fiji, Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea by March this year.
Designed to help regional and rural communities as well as citizens from Pacific nations, the PLS is a demand-driven strategy that helps companies meet workforce needs, improve productivity and increase economic viability.
HW Greenham & Sons Group human resources manager Glenn Southward said the scheme was a major coup for the company, which has felt the effect of staff shortages for a number of years.
“The vast majority of people employed at the Tongala works are local residents and we will continue to employ local residents; however, we still have a number of vacancies that we have difficulty in filling, that we have to fill, to maintain viability,” he said.
“One of the things that restricts not only Greenham but the meat industry in general from reaching its full potential is the available source of labour.”
Mr Southward said the scheme provided a more worthwhile avenue of employment than other available alternatives.
“Using backpacker labour is short term, so you don’t really see a return on your investment,” he said.
“This is a three-year-plus visa that allows us to invest in training and development, which will certainly yield results for the company, region and individuals.
“They’ll live in the community, spend money in the community and add revenue to local companies and businesses. On top of that they will hopefully be a part of sporting communities and other local groups in the area.
“It brings committed people to the region to learn industry skills — and those people come to Australia knowing the program and are wanting to be a part of the community.”
Those employed under the PLS, who started work at Greenham on January 28, were employed through Food Industry People Group, an approved employer under the PLS that sourceS workers from nine Pacific nations and Timor-Leste to work in Australia for up to 36 months.
Food Industry People Group organises housing and transport, assists with setting up bank accounts and connects the workers with local sporting groups and places of worship to ensure they settle in well to their new communities.
In January alone, Food Industry People Group mobilised 181 workers across Australia.