THERE is no information to indicate “any urgent need to look specifically” at agricultural staff accommodation for seasonal workers, the Environment Minister has said.
During yesterday’s States sitting, Deputy Steve Luce reaffirmed his commitment to the “safety standards” of farmworker lodgings but insisted that his officers “do not have reason to target this industry as a whole”.
It comes after an inquest into the death of Filipino seasonal farmworker George Castrudes from carbon monoxide poisoning having ignited a fire inside his portable cabin at La Valette Nurseries to keep himself warm at night.
Responding to a question from Deputy Jonathan Renouf, he said he couldn’t “provide a specific figure” on the number of farm worker-specific inspections because the “records don’t categorise visits by accommodation type”.
Deputy Viscount and acting coroner Matt Berry previously found that “inherent challenges” heating his portable cabin contributed “more than minimally, negligibly or trivially” to Mr Castrudes’ death.
He recommended that “further work” be undertaken to “identify the instances where portacabins are being used as staff accommodation during the winter months and assess whether they meet the requirements of the Public Health and Safety Law 2018.”
And it was heard during the States sitting that in order to acquire a license for accommodation in Jersey, applicants may now be required to specify the type of property they seek licensing for.
This marks a potential departure from Deputy Luce’s previous commitment to have application forms be “as simple as possible” and not contain “non-essential information” such as “property type”.
Deputy Catherine Curtis asked if anyone responsible for work permit accommodations had been prosecuted under the Public Health and Safety Law 2018 – a law that states that “all landlords and employers are responsible for making sure that accommodation is fit for purpose”.
The Grouville and St. Martin Deputy responded that he didn’t have an answer but would “get back to her with that information.”
In an earlier written question, Deputy Curtis asked whether targeted inspections are taking place in relation to agricultural staff accommodation.
Deputy Luce replied that his department is “committed to safety standards of agricultural staff accommodation and will work collaboratively with the Home Affairs Minister and the Jersey Farmers’ Union to establish a prioritised inspection plan over this summer that ensures minimum standards are met”.
He pointed out that targeted inspections for rental dwellings only currently occur “when either complaints are received or when licence applications are made.”
Speaking to the JEP, Lee Madden, chief executive of GR8 Recruitment Employment Solutions, said that “accommodation should absolutely be fit for purpose” and that “exploitation should not be tolerated.”
His company is currently leading specialist recruitment company for offshore, seasonal labour in Jersey.
Employers responsible for employee exploitation “should be prosecuted” and have their right to employ people via the work permit policy “revoked”, he told.
But the recruitment executive said that “98%” of people brought over by his company were “happy” and “supported”.
He pointed to his company’s ‘Just Good Work’ platform which helps people moving to Jersey understand the Island ahead of time.
“As a main supplier of workforce recruitment we go above and beyond anyone else”, he insisted.
He further stated that incidences of employee exploitation should not be conflated with modern day slavery.
“To my mind, there is nobody in Jersey who is subjected to slavery, within the definition.
“There are bad employers and bad employees,” he said. “We need to be very careful about when we throw around “modern day slavery” because it tarnishes the true meaning of it.”
He clarified: “I absolutely support any of the charity groups or support groups helping people.
“I do think, though, caution should be advised when we’re using the term modern day slavery because it’s flippant use, I think, diminishes the actual terminology and meaning of it.”
At the inquest into the death of Mr Castrudes, it was found that he “was working in Jersey lawfully and in circumstances that did not amount to modern-day slavery”.
