THE Papua New Guinea Trade Union Congress (TUC)yesterday expressed its outrage at the exuberant salary allocated to the members of staff of the finance inquiry.
At a press conference, the TUC president Michael Malabag also called on Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare to immediately review the commission of inquiry (COI) into the Finance Department.
He urged a review of the entire COI structure “to make it more efficient and accountable.”
This would ensure the appointment of a key staff including the commissioners to represent key sectoral groups including the Government, business, workers and church organisations, he said.
“The salary rates, allowances and conditions and terms of engagement are reflective of work value, volume of work, capacity, wage differential and other variables,” Mr Malabag said.
He said he had also written to the Prime Minister expressing these concerns of the union.
Mr Malabag, in making this call, revealed that the initial 30 COI staff during the first quarter of last year had received a daily salary totalling K76,000.
He also revealed that the COI paid out a salary of K112,000 per fortnight (K56,000 per day) to the chairman while the senior counsel assisting the inquiry received K3,400 ; the junior counsel K3,000; the investigator of the inquiry K2,000; and the secretary and the accountant K1,600, per day.
Mr Malabag said this was tax-payers’ money and he was sure the tax-payers would be concerned to know that their hard-earned money paid as taxes are being used in such unfruitful ways, particularly when no end result of the inquiry has been realised as yet.
He said much of the K10 million allocated for the inquiry initially was used up before any findings were adequately completed with another request by the inquiry board for an additional K10 million, which he termed as “outrageous”.
He said the finance inquiry headed by retired Supreme and National Court judge Maurice Sheehan and Sarea Soi as the assisting senior counsel were allocated an additional K5 million in its budget last year for the completion of the inquiry into financial abuse.
Mr Malabag questioned why so high salaries were paid to the inquiry members.
He said it appeared much of the disbursements and use of the funds had been done with no regard to the principles of good governance, accountability and transparency.
“The inquiry to uncover financial abuse has been converted to a money-making scheme for some,” he said.