Minimum Wage: Have Companies And Businesses Ignored 2014 Increase of K1.00 For Low Income Earners?

 Minimum Wage was raised from K2.20 to K3.20 in 2014. The increase was recommended by Employers Federation and Salary Commission and endorsed by a Parliamentary Working Committee on wages and salaries. Every employer must comply with the parliamentary directive as of 2014.  

There is also little known about employees’ benefits and how those benefits tie in with minimum wages. Unless employees are made aware of this by their employers, there is no reason why employees would get less than recommended minimum wage or salary.

If you are an adult, working fulltime (or Part-time) and know that you are among the minimum wage earners you should make sure that your hourly pay is NOT less than K3.20. Here is a table to help you.

In 2014 the Employers Federation and Salary Commission (EF&SC) conducted a 7-month investigation into wages and salaries of middle (to low) income earners in Papua New Guinea. They made several recommendations. One of the recommendations was to increase the minimum wage from K2.20 to K3.20

The EF&SC (who made the recommendation) or Employers Federation of Papua New Guinea (EFoPNG – who are supposed to inspect and ensure minimum wage is paid to workers) came out trumpeting that the increase must be complied with ‘immediately’ at the time of the announcement. 

Question of ‘compliance’ must be answered clearly. This can be done by government organisations responsible for ensuring workers are paid what they deserved. Right now there is a need to determine if companies have complied with government’s directive. But, who is going to do it?

If the Workers’ Union president is looking for something better to do, here is one thing he can do: call on EFoPNG to do its job. The employers’ federation has 22 inspectors stationed in every province. Have they done what they are supposed to do yet? 

What is the Department of Internal Revenue and Taxation done to make sure the K1.00 increase is paid to the low income earners? Their audit has to show how many minimum wage earners are employed by each company and how much they are paying them. 

Statutory organisations, who are supposed to put the interest of low income earners first, have got to do their jobs and continue to do it right. Companies and businesses who have not complied with the Minimum Wage increase must be reminded to remain true to their workers – pay them accordingly.  

Organisations like the Workers Union, Employers Federation of Papua New Guinea, Employers Federation and Salary Commission, Internal Revenue Commission and Department of Internal Revenue and Taxation MUST do what is right. 

It would be criminal – it is criminal, on both the government organisations and companies, if they failed to enforce the new minimum wage or failed to comply with it. Responsible authorities must follow up and ensure the minimum wage (K3.20) set in 2014 is paid to every eligible earner in the country. 



1. SECURITY FIRMS
2. LOGGING AND FISHING COMPANIES
3. CHINESE KAI BARS AND RESTAURANTS 
4. RETAIL OUTLETS AND WHOLESALE 
5. CONSTRUCTION AND SUB-CONTRACTORS 
6. PLANTATIONS 
7. NIGHT CLUBS 
8. FARMS
9. FACTORIES 
10. HOTELS

1,000 New Species Found Melanesian island of New Guinea - WFF

A frog with fangs, a blind snake and a round-headed dolphin are among more than 1,000 new species recently found on the incredible Melanesian island of New Guinea, environment group WWF said.


Scientists made the astounding discoveries, which also included a river shark and dozens of butterflies, on New Guinea at a rate of two a week from 1998 to 2008, WWF said in a new report on the island's natural habitat.

"This report shows that New Guinea's forests and rivers are among the richest and most biodiverse in the world," said WWF's Western Melanesia programme representative, Neil Stronach.

New Guinea -- divided between the Indonesian province of Papua in the west and Papua New Guinea to the east -- has one of the world's least spoilt and most stunning ecosystems.

Its rainforests are the third biggest in the world after the Amazon and the Congo, and, while the island covers just 0.5 per cent of the Earth's landmass, it contains up to eight percent of the world's species, according to WWF.

What was previously known about New Guinea's biodiversity was already breathtaking, such as the world's biggest butterfly -- with a 30-centimetre (12-inch) wingspan -- and giant rats that can grow up to a metre long.

Scientists believe that one square kilometre (247 acres) of the island's lowland rainforest may contain as many as 150 bird species, according to WWF.

The 1,060 species confirmed by scientists as new discoveries between 1998 and 2008 are believed to have only scratched the surface of New Guinea's dazzling ecosystems.

"Such is the extent of New Guinea's biodiversity that new discoveries are commonplace even today," WWF said in its report, titled "Final Frontier: Newly Discovered Species of New Guinea".

One of the most notable finds documented in the WWF report was a round-headed and snub-finned dolphin, which swims in protected, shallow coastal waters near rivers and creek mouths.

Discovered in 2005 in Papua New Guinea, it was the first new dolphin species recorded anywhere in the world in three decades, and is now known to also exist in Australia, WWF said.

Another of the 12 mammals found over the decade was an anteater named in honour of British naturalist Sir David Attenborough, Sir David's Long-beaked Echinda or, scientifically, Zaglossus attenboroughi.

One of the 134 frogs discovered was dubbed Litoria sauroni because its striking red and black spotted eyes reminded scientists of the evil character Sauron in the "Lord of the Rings" movies.

Another new frog was notable because of its tiny size -- just one centimetre in length, while one had vampire-like fangs.

Nine snail species, some so colourful as to be almost unrecognisable from the backyard-garden-type variety, were among the 580 new invertebrates discovered.

One of the snails was bright yellow, while another was green and yellow.

Among the other new invertebrates was a brightly coloured apricot crayfish, part of the family of creatures called "yabbies" in Australia and some other parts of the world, which was nine to 12 centimetres long

New fish totalled 71, with a kaleidoscope of colours, including one in the coral reefs of Milne Bay in Papua New Guinea that thrilled scientists with its dazzling blue hue.

WWF said the most extraordinary freshwater discovery was a 2.5-metre-long river shark found in Papua New Guinea that has since also been located in northern Australia.

Of the 43 reptiles discovered, one could claim to be the most innocuous snake in the world -- it was just 12-14 centimetres long, had scales over its eyes so that it could not see, could not bite and had no venom.

But WWF said the excitement of all the new discoveries had been tempered by the fact that, like in the Amazon and Borneo rainforests, human actions were destroying New Guinea's natural habitat at an "alarming rate".

Some of the growing threats it listed were illegal and unsustainable logging, forest conversion for palm oil plantations, mining, road construction and unsustainable fishing.

"These environmental threats are exacerbated by global climate change which is increasing the number of fires within forests and savannas, erosion, and seawater incursion into coastal habitats," WWF said.

Source: AFP 2011

Non-Payment of Tuition Fees | "Anyone who gets in the way of the delivery of free education will be moved aside..."PNG PM.


THE GOVERNMENT IS PAYING K300 SCHOOL FEE PER CHILD AND EXPECTS SCHOOLS TO CONTINUE TILL ACADEMIC YEAR ENDS?

It is good to see PNG government is responding quickly to the news about schools closure. However, there are certain facts and figures we, as stakeholders, need to bear in mind.

1) The government allocated K605 million to fund Tuition Fee Free education policy. With this funding, schools were directed by both education minister and secretary for National Department of Education not to charge any other fees like the project fees.

2) K605 million has been paid in two instalments: first component (K302.5) for terms one and two, and second K302.5 million for terms three and four. This is supposed to be paid with no strings attached.

3) Reports have indicated that only 70% (K211.75 million) of the first component was paid to receiving schools. The remaining 30% (K90.75 million) was now released to schools according to the Post Courier report below. Why is it released now, when some schools have closed early for term one holiday due to lack of funds? Who is the government blaming? Would schools have closed prematurely if the government released the first component in full?

4) Perhaps this is an important question: 'Are we likely to see schools closing before the end of term two?' I think yes because 70% the first component was not enough to take many schools through to the end of term one. Remaining 30% paid recently was just a drop in the ocean to complete term 2, not sufficient for a term. 

5) All in the good name of the government, this K605 million was not enough. With a national school population of 1.9 million students, the government has planned to pay about K300 school fee per child (that was for the whole year) and expected the schools to continue without closure. 

The PM, Education Minister and NDoE secretary can go dancing to the tune of K605 million for free education, but it trickles down to nothing when you have a students' population near 2 million.  

It was clear that the investigation into any allegation of abuse of TFF funds, commissioned  and talked about by the Chief Secretary of Government, would have to be withdrawn as it  was unlikely to fix the problem. It would only uncover the weak areas and threw mud at the government. 

If the government wants to see smooth flow of academic year, it must either double the TFF subsidy or allow for parents to pay half the school fees and project fees.

It is, also, time to stop the Education Minister and his department secretary from meddling with the affairs of provincial education authorities or school board of management. Let the school BoGs, principals and PEAs do their jobs as they have done before the introduction of TFF (free) education policy.


BY ISAAC NICHOLAS

PRIME Minister Peter O’Neill has directed that all outstanding school fee subsidies be made direct to individual schools by this week.

He said to facilitate these payments, K90 million was drawn down last Friday to pay the remainder of tuition fee free funding for the first two terms of the current school year.

Mr O’Neill outlined this plan of action that was being delivered alongside the investigation commissioned by Chief Secretary Sir Manasupe Zurenuoc that was seeking answers to the possibility of misappropriation of school fees.

He said the investigation included where the unaccounted funds had gone, but of greater urgency the commission would provide details of schools that had been cut short of funds so that they could be paid direct by the Government this week.

"The delivery of tuition free education is a cornerstone policy of our Government and we will not let this be interrupted by incompetence or mismanagement," he said.

"We promised the people of this nation that we would get their children into school and this is what we are doing.

"Anyone who gets in the way of the delivery of free education will be moved aside and we will deliver these school fees for our families.

"I have directed that all schools still awaiting their school fee subsidy will receive this money direct from the Government this week. There is no reason for any school not to open for the new school term.

"Education is a right for all children of Papua New Guinea and our Government will continue to implement reform to ensure our children can attend school regardless of their economic situation."

He said the list of schools that had not received their full funding was being finalised and outstanding money would be released direct to schools in the coming days.

He was responding to reports last week that 13,000 public schools will close in term two due to non-payment of free tuition fee subsidy.

Great News | Cabinet Endorses 12 Recommendations by Parliamentary Working Committee on Education - Allocated K7.826 million

Post Courier report, 13th of April 2015...

The National Executive Council has recently endorsed the Ministry of Education’s response to the Parliamentary Referral Committee on Education’s (PRCE) recommendations, tabled in Parliament in August 2014. 

Prime Minister. Peter O’Neill, said cabinet has taken note of the Department of Education’s (DoE) policy paper and endorsed the Ministerial Statement together with the response made by the Ministry of Education. He said the policy paper and responses come after PRCE recommended:

  1. Review of functions and responsibilities of the DoE and Teaching Services Commission (TSC) in the Management of teachers’ salaries and entitlements.
  2. TSC to review Teaching Services Act 1988 Section 9.
  3.  Review of relevant sections of the Teaching Service and Education Acts on appointment policies and procedures with the view to transfer off powers and functions to the Provincial Education Board.
  4. Extension of tenure appointment from current three years to five years.
  5. Review of ALESCO pay system enabling it to accommodate processing of all salaries and entitlements.
  6. Transfer of full ALESCO Pay System and powers to the Provincial Education Board.
  7. Payment of teachers’ leave fares direct into their accounts.
  8.  Annual teacher manpower update to be conducted in the first quarter of the school year.
  9. TCS to assume financial autonomy as a separate entity of State as per the Teaching Services Act 1988.
  10. Review of policy, process and procedures in the administration of retrenchment, retirement and resignation of teachers.
  11. Establishment of a centralized modern electronic teacher information database that is easily available for provincial education authorities and other relevant stakeholders to have access.
  12. Review of the TCS administrative and manpower structural requirements and resourcing the Commission, enabling it greater autonomy to effectively and efficiently administer and regulate powers and functions.

”Cabinet has also approved K7, 826, 000.00 funding for the implementation of plans and programs for 2015 not budgeted and appropriated in the 2015 Budget Appropriation for DoE and TSC,” PM O’Neill said.

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