Former employees take out restraining order

 THIRTY-FIVE former contracted employees of McConell Dowa and Consolidated Construction Corp (MCJV) have successfully got the Lae District Court to grant a court order against the company not to move its machinery in any operation.

The court order by Magistrate Nasaling Bingtau on Dec 20 reinstated an initial court order of Dec 10.

Apart from restraining the company from moving shipping equipment and other machinery out of the Lae sea port, the court order called for a mediation between MCJV, the 35 former workers and officers from the Department of Labour and Industrial Relations.

This was to settle unpaid entitlements and allowances due to the former contracted workers within two weeks, according to the court order which was served on MCJV Lae operations manager Roland Hamati.

The former workers led by Jeffrey Sarry, Gabriel Wangi and Brown Ifanke said they were recruited as contracted equipment operators and drivers to move MCJV equipment through seven provinces between Morobe and Hela, an estimated distance of 800km, which was risky.

However, they claimed they were not receiving the same full benefits as their counterparts who were locals on the project sites at Komo. 

The benefits included lunch, housing and risk allowances.

They claimed their pay was not calculated and paid out according to Department of Labour and Industrial Relations calculations.

They said they were hopeful MCJV would make their representatives available for the mediation ordered by the court.