Thousands of restaurateurs turned off the lights in protest at the Government’s immigration policy, which the Restaurant Association​ says excludes the hospitality industry from employer-assisted visa extensions. Across New Zealand at 11.30am on Tuesday, lights were switched off at hundreds of premises for a couple of minutes. Restaurant Association chief executive Marisa Bidois​ said the situation for restaurateurs struggling to staff their businesses was critical. She said most of the temporary visa-holders were on essential skills work visas and there was still no plan to extend these. The minister said that while the Government didn’t extend essential skills visas last month, the duration of essential skills visas for jobs paid below the median wage would be increased from six to 12 months, to align with pre-Covid settings.

Source: Stuff July 06, 2021 02:39 UTC