Joint efforts can ease poverty

 Reports By HELEN TARAWA
Poverty in PNG can be addressed through collaborative efforts of government, employers and other stakeholders, Labour and Industrial Relations secretary Mary Morola says.
Morola told The National that PNG has an obligation to end poverty through the rectification of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) convention.
“Poverty alleviation is not something that we can do overnight, it takes many years and with many collaboration efforts of governments, employers and other stakeholders to work together.
“This is where the labour department and other government agencies, especially youth, religion and community development and social protection come in.
“We have to come up with combined efforts to see how we can ensure that we have sustainable economic growth and there is food, employment and decent work free from hazardous conditions.
“We must allow the right to organise and collective bargaining, freedom of association. This is where the unions come in.
“These are all under the evaluation and impact of the ILO declarations, social justice for a fair globalisation which promotes all these things,” she said.