By MATTHEW VARI
Sunday, January 29, 2017 (Sunday Chronicle, PNG)
ORO Governor, Gary Juffa, expressed an ironic twist to the government’s aim to create jobs in the country by shedding light on the loss of local jobs to foreigners as a lack of protection on the labour front.
He directed questions to the labour minister that efforts to protect local jobs are lacking due to what he claimed exists an organised syndicate operating within the Department of Labour and Industrial Relations to allow foreigners from a South Asian country.
“Most recently in Oro the provincial administration stopped work on a portion of land that had been illegally acquired and on that portion of land where a couple of foreigner performing duties of building,” Juffa said.
“These persons could not speak a word of English. Is not English a very important requirement before a work permit is issued? Because we are seeing instances like this not only in Oro Province but throughout the entire country.”
“Drivers, shopkeepers, security guards- all types of workers cannot speak a word of English are working in these positions. What is your department doing about this?” he asked the minister responsible Benjamin Poponawa.
He queried about the ability of the department to carry out inspections and prosecutions of foreign individuals not conforming the country’s labour laws.
“You will not find a Papua New Guinean only speaking pidgin operating in Australia, New Zealand, China, and Vietnam, and working there happily without anyone turning up.”
“Are you aware that there is a Bangladesh syndicate that has facilitated hordes of people from that particular country to enter illegally into this country- illegally obtain work permits and they are now proliferating the entire nation setting up tucker boxes, shops, supermarkets- any little business they can get their hands on.”
“That syndicate is operating within your department with the blessing of corrupt officers within your department.”
“It is hypocritical for us to claim that we are concerned about Papua New Guinean jobs and this is happening and we continue to turn a blind eye,” the governor said.
In his response, Minister Poponawa, said he did not understand how such foreigners are being allowed into the country.
“English is a prerequisite and a must that whoever is applying for works permits English. I fail to understand how some people are out in the provinces and districts are unable to speak English,” he said.
“I’ll try my best to send officers out there. As you know we have got labour officers in Oro and if they are these sort of people existing under their nose then I think that they are wasting their time and we have to get those labour officers off.”
Juffa, however, added that officers from his province were instructed not to pursue their investigation from officials within the department.
“Those labour officers have lodged a complaint with me that headquarters has deliberately instructed them not to pursue these inspection investigations,” he said.
The minister stated that he would deal with the officers concerned, confessing that the issue was not only restricted to his department but existed in others.
“I am not aware of these said officials but if you can provide me with the names and list of those officers we will deal with them.”
“As you know it is not only in my department but other divisions that we are seeing that some of these officers going to bed with these.”
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