PNG Power workers in Lae have begun a gradual shutdown of power nationwide in protest over what they describe as political interference in the operations of the company.
Lae was one of the first to switch off, just after 8am, followed by Rouna in Port Moresby, Madang and Goroka. Parts of the Yonki facility have been shut down as of 10am, just after eight this morning.
PNG power workers switched off electricity to Lae City.
Angau hospital, and Water PNG’s pumps, are the only essential services, to which power will be maintained. All PNG power vehicles were grounded as workers began what is likely to become a crippling nationwide strike.
The gradual shutdown in Goroka, Madang, and Lae will trigger an automatic shutdown over the next few hours, at Yonki, a PNG power nerve center. The move comes after the new board sacked the PNG power executive management team. Without the team executive management, essential workflow has been affected.
The workers say there have been too much political interference, and meddling in the affairs of a company that, despite challenges, provides an essential service.
At PPL’s provincial headquarters in Lae, workers gathered to finalize a statement to the PNG power board. They want a stable management, and for the Executive management team to be reinstated. They’ve also called for a few board members and senior management to be removed.
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