Workers in Karkar most exploited, says union

PLANTATION workers in Madang’s Karkar Island are still the most exploited and suppressed, PNG Trade Union Congress (PNGRUC) president John Paska claims.
“They are easily the most depressed group of workers I’ve ever come across in my entire career as a unionist,” he said.
“It’s like they had been pummelled into a state of subservience, accepting the treatment as fate.”
Paska said the union would be organising dialogues with plantation owners “to bring about some decency to the terms and conditions of their employment”.
He spoke at the announcement of the registration of Karkar Plantation Workers’ Union in Port Moresby yesterday.
Paska, who returned from the island recently, said: “The term reasonable wages or minimum wages is non-existent on the island.
“Workers are paid from as low as K5 a day flat for whatever job title and administrative offices are practically non-existent.
“In short, the master-servant relationship of 200 years ago is still in practice on the island.
“That is why we must organises the dialogues with the plantation owners.
“We want decent terms and conditions of employment for plantation workers.”