Minister urges fair pay for hard work

Decent work is a passage towards a brighter and better future for PNG, Minister for Labour and Industrial Relations Benjamin Poponawa says.
Poponawa in his message at the National Labour Day and World Day Against Child Labour,  delivered by Secretary Mary Morola last Friday, said it was only fair and just that labour was compensated with a decent wage and decent terms and conditions.
The scale of development must not tilt towards the profit margins at the expense of the toil, he said.
“When a worker is happy, the business that he works in grows which then contributes towards the upturn in the economy.
“That is the sweat and blood of our workers who toil in unbearable working conditions through long and painful hours just to put food on the table for them and their families and to ensure that their future is sustained.
“These human rights aspects become secondary as the profit margins and business growth take precedence at the expense of this labour.
“The sacrifices of many people cannot be forgotten so that we continue to press for our rights against all gains.”
Poponawa said these were the events that gave rise to the origins of the Labour Day movement, it was testimony to the fight for justice and recognition of  workers’ rights.
The efforts should not be confined to and limited to the celebrations and reflections of the day but rather through sustained policy dialogue, strategies and innovative programmes to direct action programmes that align to different government plans, directives and policies, he said.
World Labour Day against Child Labour also marked World Day against Child Labour since its launch by the International Labour Organisation in 2002.
“It is our responsibility as guardians of our children, who are our future leaders,” he said.