The National Employment Act 1978 needs to be amended to regulate the high unemployment rate in Papua New Guinea.
Labor and Industrial Relations Secretary, Mary Morola, highlighted this while introducing the National Development Policy at the National Development Forum in Port Moresby.
The increased unemployment rate in PNG is an eminent issue that the National Government through the Labor and Industrial Relations Department is focused at.
Department Secretary, Mary Morola, introducing the Department’s National Employment Policy outlined core areas this policy can be replicated to mitigate this issue.
The 2014 National Employment Policy is focused on three pillars of the Decent Work Policy Standard which was adopted in 2002.
They are:
1. Fundamental rights of workers
2. Industrial relations and
3. Occupational Health and Safety
However, the loophole is the implementation part of the policy as it is yet to be ratified and rectified into a law.
At the National level discussions have been made with relevant agencies for the policy’s amendment.
Secretary Morola says unemployment is a cross cutting issue that can be rectified by increasing job employment in all sectors.
