A tribunal has been established by the Labour and Industrial Relations Department, to look into the arbitrations and negotiations for health support staff in Papua New Guinea.
This is supported by the Personnel Management Department.
Health Secretary, Pascoe Kase, says the National Health Department is concerned and has issued a warning to all health support staff, preventing any any strike action while negotiations are taking place.
Kase has met with the Chief Secretary to the Government and Secretaries of the Departments of Personnel Management and Labour and Industrial Relations and head of industrial relations to look into health support staff demands.
“We recognise that there is a process that has already begun so we will respect that process to take its cause. At the moments, there is no strike action. All health support staff has been advised to continue with normal duties because disciplinary actions will be executed for those who fail to comply by these directions,
“There is no strike action. If people are intended to do that or absented themselves from work, then they are asking for trouble. They must remain at work until the announcement. So at the moment, there is no strike action,” he said.
Mr Kase said there was no approval given for any strike action but for the secret ballot to be conducted.
Kase says the secret ballot was to pave the way for negotiations.
