Lawyers present demands to cement company

By GABRIEL LAHOC
LAWYERS representing the 130 workers termina­ted by the PNG Taiheiyo Cement have sent a list of demands to the company including the reinstatement of the workers.
JB Nanei and Company lawyers have been asked to represent the workers by industrial unionist Tom Vevo.
Vevo, after two weeks of negotiations with the affected workers and the company, left for Port Moresby last week to garner support for them.
JB Nanei and Company’s notice served on PNGTC yesterday stated that the allegations made by the terminated workers were serious and in breach of the Employment of Non-citizens Act.
It demanded that:
l    All employees have access to the company premises to commence normal employment duties without loss of entitlements;
l    The company lift any threats to terminate any or all of the employees;
l    The company be restrained from paying any termination pay to any or all national employees;
l    The company be restrained from allowing only some of the national employees to returned to work; and
l    The company treats all national employees equally as a group of national employees.
It said the company’s failure to comply with the demands could lead to legal proceedings taken against it.