Employees told to seek advice before complaining

COMPANY employees should seek professional advice if they wish to air their grievances and not to take matters into their own hands, Momase region labour and employment adviser, David Niniwali told protesting workers in Lae yesterday.
Niniwali told Laga Industries Ltd workforce after about 100 permanent and casual employees staged a peaceful protest which was later described as illegal, at the company’s premises at Orion Street, West Taraka. 
Niniwali and private industrial consultant, Tom Vevo, who were called by the employees to mediate for them with the company management, told the employees that they must give the management time to respond and should only opt for another cause of action if no response was forthcoming.
The employees acted upon resolutions they passed during a meeting they held at the company premises last Saturday where they claimed that 7am to 7pm shift work had not been paid properly or casual employees have either not been paid in time or not paid for up to three fortnights.
The mediation, however, found that the grievances were minor and were left to line managers to take care of.
Company general manager, Jim Kelly, said the company would be making every casual workers permanent by next month.
He said it was not the company’s intention to “duck away” from its employees.