Dept happy to use new building

Department of Labour and Industrial Relations is now housed in new building, the Gaukara Rumana building in Waigani.
Secretary Mary Morola told The National that the move was a big relief especially with all the five programmes and seven statutory bodies of the department in one building.
“For the last 23 years we’ve been moving, we left Waigani in 1993. We were all over the place, occupying five different buildings. I’ve been pushing for us to get under one roof and finally they brought us together.
“We were at the Pineapple Building now the Sir Manasupe House and we thought we would move back there.
“They told us that once the building was fixed we would return. But it’s the Government Office Allocation Committee’s decision on where to allocate the departments.
“At least we have been brought closer to the seat of government which is Waigani. The fortunate thing is that we are now all under one roof,” she said.
Morola said the department has five major programmes and seven statutory officers. The five programmes include Corporate Services, Labour Administration and Field Operations, Industrial Relations and International Corporation and Standards, Human Resource Development and Employment and Occupational Safety.
The seven statutory officers are the Industrial Registrar’s Office, Industrial Arbitration Tribunal, Industrial Arbitration Minimum Wages,  National Training Council, National Trade Testing Board, Independent Fellowship Scheme and the officer of Workers’ Compensation.