PNG Power slows service

By HELEN TARAWA
PNG Power workers have slowed down service delivery nationwide from yesterday in protest over the board and management’s lack of response to their grievances.
PNG Energy Workers’ Association general secretary Santee Margis told the PPL management that had gone on a slow-work pace, meaning they would not attend to any calls for services. Among the list of grievances was the 5 per cent CPI increase which they had demanded be paid by next fortnight.
Acting chief executive officer Alex Oa told the workers that electricity must continue to be generated and the lights must be kept on to ensure there was revenue to pay the commitments including salaries.
“We must make sure that the lights are always on if we are going to benefit going forward, that’s very important,” Oa said.
“My job coming on to take up this challenge, my biggest focus is to make sure that the lights are on.
“The second thing is to the 2,000 PPL workers, to help them.
“We must make sure the lights are always on if we are going to benefit to going forward.
“If the lights go off everyone will be affected, not only the customers all of us here, we feed from the same basket.”
Margis said the enterprise agreement which was signed in Nov 2015 had not been implemented.
He said a memorandum of understanding was supposed to be signed by all parties in respect of the enterprise agreement to ensure it was implemented.
“PPL board and management had belittled and ridiculed PNGEWA and its members by not implementing the agreement,” he said.
“This board does not have faith in the enterprise agreement for the workers which is why we are calling for their removal.
“We agreed here on Tuesday that we will go on a slow work pace with readiness to call out members in petroleum and water at any moment without notice.”