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Business |
Workers for WA start early 2008
Millennium Card now accepting job
applications
By JASON SOM KAUT
THE first batch of
skilled local workers who meet the requirements can expect to
start work at the booming resource projects in Western Australia
by early next year.
This was revealed recently by Gabriel Miriye, president of the
Melanesian Chamber of Commerce in Lae, following the release of
application forms by Western Australian management company
Millennium Card.
A major resources boom in Australia has seen a drastic shortage
of available skilled and unskilled labour in Australia including
Western Australia, which recently opened up half a dozen new
iron ore mines.
Applications forms are now available at Mr Miriye’s office and
submission closes at the end of this month. For further details,
applicants may Mr Miriye on 472-8224.
A curriculum vitae (CV) and a K20-application fee must accompany
the completed application forms to cover cost of shipping them
to Millennium Card.
The hiring firm will evaluate the application forms after which
company directors Alan Bodger and David Phillips will visit Lae
next month to interview prospective applicants.
Those who would qualify will shoulder the cost of visa
application (K100) or visa renewal fee.
Airfares will be shouldered by the Millennium Card.
Mr Miriye said the company was interested in skilled labourers
like farmers, welders, drivers and carpenters.
Unskilled labourers including janitors and fruit pickers are
also being hired.
Mr Bodger said many companies in Australia involved in
recruiting workers for the resource boom had been looking to
Asia and Europe instead of Papua New Guinea.
He said: “PNG has a lot of skilled labour and being neighbours
with a long spiritual bonding during World War II, the people
understand Australian ways better and even speak better
English.”
Labour and Employment Secretary David Tibu had recently
applauded the “look to PNG stance” taken by Millennium Card and
encouraged Papua New Guineans to “aspire to work elsewhere in
the world”.
Saying PNG had a lot of skilled labourers, he, however, raised
concerns that workers from PNG must be respected and treated
fairly under the International Labour Organisation (ILO) laws of
which PNG and Australia were signatories.
Responding to this, Mr Bodger said Millennium Card was committed
to ensuring that PNG workers were treated fairly and assured
that those who meet companies requirements will be paid at
“going market rates”.
Mr Tibu and Mr Bodger had earlier called for
“government-to-government” discussions on the issue.
Mr Bodger said Australia should “take the lead in resolving
outstanding issues” with PNG.
 
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