Job seekers seriously injured in mad rush to work overseas

By Lagi Keresoma

APIA, SAMOA – 22 JUNE 2021: 3 adults are seriously injured and nine others are being treated for injuries from yesterday’s mad rush to get registered to pick fruits under the seasonal workers scheme in New Zealand and Australia.

They came in huge numbers, some arriving at the EFKS Youth Hall at 5am with all hopes for employment overseas.

When the doors finally opened, the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Labour, allowed in only 600 people with the plan to allow in more as the registrations progress.

However, another just as large a crowd outside, standing in the sun and growing impatient, started to push the steel and glass doors and some even jumped through the windows and injured themselves in the process. The heat of the morning sun and the pushing crowd had some suffocate and fainted in the heat.

The Fire and Emergency Services were busy tending to the victims and a small police unit could not cope to discipline and control the crowd.

Along the single road to the Mulinu’u peninsula, the traffic jam extended to the usual morning traffic jam at Savalalo, Fugalei and the motorists were on the road for as close to an hour along the Vaimoso, Lepea and Vailoa road strips.

Meanwhile, the important court case to consider the legality of the swearing in of the 26 FAST MPs, Speaker and Cabinet on 24 May, was to begin in court at 1000.

Stuck in the traffic jam were not only lawyers for some of the court matters, but some respondents as well as supporters who were identified in their uniform.

The police assisted by escorting them through the traffic to the court house.

Cars and worker hopefuls on foot added to the growing traffic jam.

The scene at Mulinu’u was similar to when people rushed to be registered for the general election last year, although the numbers then were less compared to those who wore their hopes on the sleeves and congregated at Mulinu’u yesterday.

Salamina Fa’aifo was among many that travelled from Saleapaga, Aleipata on the 4.00 am bus hoping to fill the forms and leave early. However, she became part of the multitude of people shoving and pushing their way inside the hall.

The shoving and pushing resulted in police arresting two young men allegedly for breaking the glass doors of the hall.

Eager to get inside, some of them removed the louver windows and a video clip shows a woman being pushed through the windows. While some were successful, others ended up in an ambulance injured and were rushed to the national hospital.

The police had bring in a support team as the crowd was out of control and people were just fighting to get to the front of the line and had no respect for others around them.

But all their efforts and hopes came to nothing when the Ministry officials announced that the registration was cancelled.

After all that, they left in desperation after the registration was cancelled.

It all started with a Ministry public notice in the weekend that called for workers to be registered for Upolu on Monday 21 June and Tuesday 22 June then the registration shifts to Savaii on Thursday and Friday this week.

Following yesterday’s outcome, the Acting CEO, Sa’u Taupisi said in another public notice last night that the registration was officially cancelled and the Ministry will inform the public once they finalise their next plan.

The overseas seasonal workers scheme is administered by MCIL for employment opportunities for thousands of Samoan people every year.

The Scheme is in collaboration with the New Zealand Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and Australia’s Labour Mobility Assistance Program to recruit labourers and workers for up to nine months in the viticulture and horticultural sectors in those countries.