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By JULIA DAIA BORE
SECRETARY for Labour and Industrial Relations David Tibu yesterday urged
the PNG Power management to restore normal power services in the city
and other parts of the country.
Mr Tibu also urged chief executive Patrick Mara to resolve the on-going
dispute between the power firm and the 900 members of the Papua New
Guinea Energy Workers Association and 1,000 contract officers.
In his letter dated July 10, Mr Tibu wrote to the management to seek Mr
Mara’s immediate intervention.
This came after the workers met with Mr Tibu yesterday to brief him on
their grievances and their plan to cause power blackouts in the city
from midnight last night.
“It is of paramount importance that this threatened disruptions to an
essential service be averted through a definite goodwill gesture by
management immediately; or at the latest, by close of business on
today,” Mr Tibu’s letter said.
He further said: “You are aware and appreciate the Government’s
directives to all Government agencies to ensure a peaceful election
period.
“PNG Power was present at that meeting called by Department of Personnel
Management (DPM) last May, at which this department indicated and
identified PNG Power Ltd, as likely to have an industrial dispute during
the election period.”
Mr Tibu pointed out in his letter that “the main issue of grievance was
the failure of the PNG Power management to pay the outstanding “standby,
shift and underground allowances”.
He added that these issues were apart from the on-going matters relating
to the terms and conditions contained in the enterprise agreement which
were subject to current conciliatory process under the Industrial
Relations Act.
“I am sure the management is addressing this issue and so it suffices
for this department to only appeal to the management to come good with
the commitments taken with the workers and also to confirm that the
company was in breach of law, if claims were true that entitlements on
the three allowances were not being paid,” Mr Tibu said.
Meanwhile, it was understood that Mr Mara left a message with his public
relations officers to relay to the media that “the union had not
notified the management of any dispute.”
The workers had copies of correspondence they sent to the management
dated June 21, 2007, raising the issues on their grievances, including
their intentions to withdraw their services last night.
Late yesterday, the workers called on the management to terminate the
services of Mr Mara due to his failure to act on the workers’
grievances.
“This was because of his continuing ‘arrogance’ and denial that there
was a dispute and his refusal to deal with our grievances resulting in
the blacking out of the nation’s power supply at midnight last night,”
another officer said.
 
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