BY SHOREYANN RAGOSO
An Australian strawberry and apple farm has praised Solomon Islands workers for their dedication, skills and ability to learn, and plans to recruit more workers from the country in the coming season.
Maryanne Geygan, a Director at EP Strawberries in Queensland Pty Limited, Australia, said the family-owned business was looking forward to strengthening its partnership with Solomon Islands following the first Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) Scheme Approved Employer Expo held in Honiara.
The company has operated for more than 40 years and currently employs 230 workers through the PALM Scheme, including 50 Solomon Islanders.
“We currently have 230 PALM Scheme workers, and right now 50 of our workers are from Solomon Islands,” Ms Geygan said.
“We are really looking forward to continuing our partnership with Solomon Islands.”
She said EP Strawberries hopes to increase its recruitment of Solomon Islands workers by 10 to 15 percent in the coming season.
Ms Geygan said the expo provided an opportunity to build stronger relationships with the Solomon Islands Government’s Labour Mobility Unit (LMU) and discuss ways to bring more workers to Australia.
“It has been a great opportunity to strengthen our ties with the Labour Mobility Unit here,” she said.
“We are very excited about potential movement and we are very optimistic about increasing our numbers.”
For Ms Geygan, recruiting the right people is important to ensuring workers succeed in their jobs and employers maintain a strong workforce.
She said the company looks for workers who show initiative, have a willingness to learn, can adapt to different situations and maintain a positive attitude.
“For me personally, what I am looking for is somebody who has very strong initiative, the ability to learn and adapt, and somebody with a really positive attitude,” she said.
The company is also working towards increasing the number of women in its workforce. Women currently make up about 40 percent of its workers, but EP Strawberries hopes to raise this to 50 percent over the next few years.
Ms Geygan said this was her first time attending the employer expo, although it was her third visit to Solomon Islands.
She praised the local Labour Mobility Unit for its support and cooperation, saying the relationship was helping the company plan for future recruitment.
“Your team, the LMU here, is the easiest LMU that I have dealt with personally,” she said.
“I really believe that we are going to achieve that.”
Her comments come as the Solomon Islands Government encourages more citizens to take up employment opportunities under the PALM Scheme.
Prime Minister Matthew Wale has challenged approved employers to help recruit up to 5,000 Solomon Islanders each year. More than 13,000 Solomon Islanders have participated in the scheme since 2018.
Ms Geygan believes the target can be achieved if employers and both governments continue working together to improve opportunities.
“The scheme is constantly growing,” she said.
“I think both governments are very keen to make that work, and employers have a huge respect for Solomon people and their capabilities.”
Beyond providing employment, she said the scheme was helping workers improve their lives and support their families and communities when they returned home.
Some former workers have used their Australian earnings to establish small businesses, build rental properties and purchase boats to transport goods to their villages, particularly in the outer islands.
“We have workers who have bought boats and use them to bring things to their villages on outer islands,” Ms Geygan said.
“We have workers who have built rental properties, and a lot of workers who have built small shops in their villages.”
EP Strawberries uses short-term, multi-year visas, allowing workers to spend eight to nine months in Australia each year before returning to Solomon Islands for three to four months.
This arrangement allows workers to earn income in Australia while maintaining connections with their families and communities at home.
Some Solomon Islands workers have already spent more than five seasons with the company and are preparing to return for their sixth season.
Ms Geygan said the company values long-term relationships with its workers because they help build trust, stability and experience.
“Our goal is to have a very stable relationship,” she said.
“Solomon Islands workers are very dedicated, capable of adapting and learning, and very good candidates for that.”
She also stressed the importance of careful recruitment to prevent workers from leaving their approved employment.
“I believe that the prevention of absconding starts early on with choosing the right candidate for a job,” she said. “It is important to make sure they are going to be successful in the role they are recruited for.”
On concerns about low wages, Ms Geygan acknowledged that pay problems could occur but said most employers were doing the right thing.
“There are absolutely situations where there are issues with pay,” she said. “But I would say the vast majority of employers are doing the right thing.”
She added that some problems could arise when workers were placed in jobs that did not suit their skills or abilities.
As she concluded her visit, Ms Geygan thanked the people of Solomon Islands for their hospitality and expressed confidence in the future of the partnership.
“The Solomon Islands is always a very hospitable country to come to,” she said.
“I am really looking forward to working with your government into the future and bringing more workers over.”
For Solomon Islands workers, the growing partnership offers the prospect of more overseas employment, opportunities to support their families and the chance to invest their earnings in businesses and communities back home.
