'Astounded at lack of accommodation inspections'

A Jersey deputy said she was astounded there have been no "targeted inspections of farm workers accommodation" following an inquest into the death of a farm worker.

Last week, an inquest into the death of Filipino farm worker George Castrudes, heard he died from carbon monoxide poisoning in the portable cabin he was living in.

Deputy Catherine Curtis, who chairs the Children, Education and Home Affairs scrutiny panel said the panel had been told last year that the environment team was working on ensuring safe accommodation.

Environment Minister Steve Luce said he would respond to the deputy's concerns in the States Assembly.

The inquest into George Castrudes's death heard that the poor quality of his accommodation played a part in his death.

In the aftermath of the inquest the coroner called on politicians to find out if seasonal workers in Jersey are still living in portable cabins after Castrudes died following a blaze after he lit a fire to keep warm because the portable cabin he lived in was so cold.

Curtis said: "I'm actually astounded when I heard in the inquest that there have been no targeted inspections of farm workers accommodation.

"It is the government's role to have rules and regulations to keep the public safe and in this case a man has died partly due unsafe accommodation."

She said based on what her panel had been told last year "we expected things were being done to keep people safe but it turns out they weren't being done".

Deputy Beatriz Porée, who led a review into the welfare of work permit holders, called on the government to get on with doing inspections.

She said: "Now is the time to just get on with it and put in place the inspections that migrant workers so desperately depend on for good quality accommodation.

"I think the time is right for the government to take speedy action and make sure that they look at how the accommodation is provided and how those accommodations can be checked on a regular basis."

Caritas Jersey supports migrant workers in the island and CEO Patrick Lynch said the inquest findings "shocked" him.

He said: "In 2017, 2018, 2019 we saw a lot of accommodation that is not fit for purpose but our understanding in the years since that a lot of accommodation, including the big agricultural employers, had been brought up to date.

"So, when we heard portacabins still exists it was a shock because we thought standards had increased but obviously there are pockets of accommodation that are not fit for purpose."

Doug Richardson, president of the Jersey Farmers Union, said they would do an audit of farm workers' accommodation to see how many portable cabins are still in use.

He said: "There hasn't been a desire to count them but that desire is now with us, they will all be accounted for and where necessary they will be improved, as I said its not hard to improve portable cabins at all and they can be very warm structures."

Deputy Luce said in a statement that he would respond to the concerns in the States Assembly where an oral question has been lodged for the meeting starting on Monday 9 March.

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