Many Union worker associations have disassociated themselves from the latest alliance between the political Peoples Progress party and a minority of the mainline workers unions.
At the risk of offending their fellow unions, they have condemned the alliance an “unholy marriage” that goes against the founding principles of worker unions.
The representatives from the Coalition of Public Sector Unions, or COPSU, including Teachers, Maritime and Nurses union to name a few said they were astounded by the decision.
They claim they had no knowledge of the MOU that was signed to bind the alliance: categorically denying any involvement.
Spokesperson and President of the COPSU Ugwalubu Mowana has speculated that there were indications that the merge was driven by political interest but gave no specific details.
In 2016 Ben Micah, leader of the PPP was quoted saying the spill and fill process that put over 500 telikom employees out of jobs was necessary.
According to Mowana, it was under Micah’s leadership as the Public Enterprise Minister in 2015 that the up to 700 Maritime and PNG Power workers faced unemployment because the Minister chose not to support them.
These are the same unions who have engage in political alliance with PPP.
To that end, Mowana has called on the associations involved in the alliance to seriously reconsider the alliance.
The unions who have declared their disassociated with the political alliance have chosen to maintain their integrity as worker unions base on there founding principles; to remain politically neutral while representing the workforce of PNG.
The combine trade union has been “under the clouds” for a long time and this controversy goes down as just another entry.
https://youtu.be/pC3CVM3HUvQ
