Samoa is among Pacific Island nations that are taking the lead in reintegration programs in place for people who are engaged under the Recognised Seasonal Employer (R.S.E.) scheme. 

Head of the PACER Plus Implementation Unit Roy Lagolago told the Samoa Observer on Thursday that there were diverse views on the issue of reintegration into countries in the three sub-regions (Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia) that participated in the 2022 Pacific Labour Mobility Annual Meeting (P.L.M.A.M.) which concluded on Thursday. 

Mr. Lagolago told the meeting that they were fortunate to have heard from Tuatagaloa Joe Annandale, the founder of the Poutasi Development Trust, on their experiences and success stories from the integration programs they have been using. 

"We were fortunate enough to have Tuatagaloa to come and talk about Falealili and share some of their experiences on how they have been able to manage the programme for such a long time," Mr. Lagolago said.  

"One of the discussions around reintegration is the capacity building, whether we need for financial support and literacy in relation to starting small businesses. 

"Samoa Business Hub is already doing that in Samoa and we think Samoa is doing such an amazing job with setting up these mechanisms to help with their reintegration. 

"But there's still more support available for countries if they want. Samoa is quite advanced with the mechanisms they have been using."

Mr. Lagolago said a lot of people who attended the conference this week were able to learn from the experiences of the Samoans.

 "And I understand that some of the other delegations from other countries are going to Falealili tomorrow (Friday) to have a look at how they have the set up there," he said. 

"So Samoa is definitely this pathway in terms of reintegration and from the stories and examples we saw yesterday, Samoa has done a marvelous job. 

"But according to Tuatagaloa there's more to be done."

The P.L.M.A.M meeting which ended on Thursday was the first in person meeting held after a two-year hiatus due to restrictions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

According a press statement issued at the conclusion of the meeting, over 150 delegates from government, private sector, non-government actors, international agencies, and stakeholders in the Pacific, Australia, New Zealand, and Timor Leste were part of this year's meeting to discuss labour mobility priorities in the region. 

P.L.M.A.M. is provided under the Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations (PACER) Plus Arrangement on Labour Mobility as a mechanism to advance regional labour mobility cooperation. 

“The significance of the PLMAM lies in the opportunity to bring the region together to discuss issues and come up with solutions to address these issues as a collective,” Mr. Lagolago said.

As we heard this week, labour mobility is not just a development initiative but also an economic initiative for both labour sending and receiving countries.

“The PLMAM effectively provides the preeminent opportunity for open and inclusive dialogues that can advance the level of cooperation needed to enhance the benefits of labour mobility in the Pacific."

The theme of the 2022 PLMAM is “Reinvigorating Labour Mobility Cooperation for Development” and was an opportunity for Pacific labour mobility stakeholders to re-engage, reset and re-commit to advancing effective regional cooperation. 

The 2022 PLMAM generated stimulating inclusive dialogues on current labour mobility opportunities and challenges and identified regional solutions and concrete actions for 2023/24. 

The alternate Chair of the final PLMAM Dialogue, Pulotu concluded by saying that practical solution are needed to resolve many of the region's challenges. 

“Whilst the recently discussed recommendations in today’s session for more workshops, technical talanoa and additional staff of the PPIU are a step in the right direction, however, what we need as a collective are practical solutions to our longstanding problems, which includes appropriate and affordable accommodation, improved pay rates, more efficient visa processes, to name a few.” 

Vanuatu made an offer to host the 2023 PLMAM. The PLMAM is funded by the Governments of Australia and New Zealand and is facilitated by the PACER Plus Implementation Unit which exists as the Labour Mobility Secretariat that supports the implementation of the Arrangement on Labour Mobility.