Proposal for trade in labour

By FRAN O'SULLIVAN

ASEAN secretary-general Ong Keng Yong has suggested importing semi-skilled labour from Southeast Asia to plug gaps in areas such as the New Zealand construction industry.

"If we can design a scheme to fill that shortage you have here it's good because we have an excess of labour," said Mr Ong.

He wants to table the issue when talks on a free trade deal between Asean, New Zealand and Australia get under way next year.

A spokeswoman for Trade Negotiations Minister Jim Sutton said the suggestion was "interesting".

But she stressed negotiations had yet to be formally started.

"Much discussion needs to take place on the scoping agreement before get down to the nitty-gritty."

Mr Ong told the Herald the ability to move around the world was a "comparative advantage".

"Asean countries should not feel that they are disadvantaged because they export maids or nurses - they should tap this."

Mr Ong said that while the issue was usually handled in a "gingerly" fashion, the trade talks could provide a positive climate "so that we don't have all this argument and then we definitely can eliminate this horrible thing called 'trafficking in humans'.

Council of Trade Unions president Ross Wilson said the CTU would be very concerned if the issue arose in the trade talks.

"We've got got hundreds of New Zealand construction workers in Sydney attracted by higher wages - we are trying to build wages up, not import more low-cost workers."

Mr Wilson said the CTU was not absolutely opposed to bringing in immigrant labour "but not at expense of New Zealand jobs and industries".

Government officials stressed that such matters normally fell within immigration policy, not trade agreements.