COUNTRY STATEMENT BY THE MINISTER FOR LABOUR, INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS & EMPLOYMENT, HON JONE USAMATE
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[Signing of 3rd MOU Extension between the Government of the Independent State of Papua New Guinea and the Government of the Republic of Fiji on Technical Assistance in the Field of Occupational Safety and Health: 2014-2015]

Monday 28th April 2014,
Holiday Inn, Suva

• On behalf of the Fijian Government, I extend a very warm welcome and Bula Vinaka to our special guest at this auspicious occasion –
• The Honorable Minister for Labour and Industrial Relations from the Government of the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, Hon. Benjamin Poponawa and your Secretary for Labour, Mr. George Vaso and the PNG team officials.
• A special welcome to the Papua New Guinea Acting Head of Mission to Fiji, Her Excellency, Ms Hera Kevau.
• Members of the Diplomatic Corp and UN families.
• The Director ILO for Pacific Island Countries, Mr. David Lamotte.
• Representatives of the Fiji Commerce and Employers Federation and the Fiji Trades Union Congress.
• Representative of the Fiji Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
• Invited Guests.
• Ladies and Gentlemen.

At the outset, I wish to kindly acknowledge the Country Statement of my counterpart, the Papua New Guinea Minister for Labour and Industrial Relations, Hon Benjamin Poponawa.

Today is World Day for Safety and Health at Work and is an international annual campaign to promote safe, healthy and decent work for all. The signing of the MOU today between the two Governments could not be done at a more opportune time, immediately after the World Day commemoration for Safety and Health at Work.

Today is also a day in which the world’s workers and trade unions have long associated with commemorating victims of occupational accidents and fatalities. Let us not forget them and may our thoughts continue to be with them and their families for their commitment and sacrifice. Let us always strive to prevent these workplace carnages and the signing of the MOU today between the two Governments is a fitting commitment to help achieve this outcome for our people.

I noted that this year’s celebration program of the World Day for Safety and Health at Work had been divided into three (3) phases. The first phase was the organization of awareness campaign in the use of chemicals in the workplace in the three divisions. I had been advised that it was a great success and likewise I am optimistic that the last two phases of the program will be a winner as well. On that note, I would like to acknowledge and thank all who participated in centers around Fiji and all of you here today for making this day more meaningful and a memorable one.

Before I proceed to the next two phases of the World Day for Safety and Health at Work program tonight, I wish to specially thank the ILO Director for the Pacific Island Countries, Mr. David LaMotte, since these two agenda come under the auspices of the ILO; firstly its annual calendar of activities on the World OHS Day, and secondly the South-South OSH co-operation between the Governments of Papua New Guinea and Fiji.

As part of its Labour Reform Agenda, the Fijian Government is fully committed to the global agenda of Fair Globalization. In this regard, it has consistently pursued the total overhaul, reform and modernization of all its labour market policies, laws, institutions, values and practices along the four strategic objectives committed under the 2008 ILO Declaration for Social Justice towards a Fair Globalization and Fiji’s Decent Work Country Program (DWCP), namely – Employment and Growth, Social Protection, Social Dialogue and Rights at Work. The visionary and strategic positioning of Fiji’s Labour Market Reform together with the finalization and implementation of our latest DWCP will also facilitate the achievements of our Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the desired outcomes of our Peoples Charter for Change, Peace and Progress in a sustainable manner.

Fiji’s Labour Reform was initiated in the social protection arena of Occupational Health and Safety (OHS). I note that ILO and PNG call it OSH, which is the same thing. Our OHS Reform was successfully launched in the 1990s. It resulted in the repeal of the outdated Factories Act and subsidiary legislations, and the promulgation of modern and globalized OHS legislations in 1996/1997 together with the establishment of the National OHS Service in 1998 to implement the new laws until the present time. As a result of our OHS Reform that is based on self-regulation approach, the annual workplace accident rates in Fiji have been consistently declining by 3% to 7% per annum since 1998. The successful lessons from Fiji’s OHS Reform including other international best practices have been shared with our PNG counterparts during the implementation of our first MOU signed on 28th April 2011 including the first and second MOU Extensions signed on 27th April 2012 and 2nd May 2013. This is to ensure that the OSH Reform in Papua New Guinea is successfully implemented under our third MOU Extension to be signed today. With the Lord’s Grace, we are confident that our partnership will continue to be a very successful one.

The signing of the extension of the MOU between Fiji and PNG today signifies the very strong spirit of regional cooperation and aspirations between the Governments and peoples of the two countries. Together we will ensure that PNG’s policy, laws, institutions and practice on OSH are modernized to adequately provide the people and workplaces of PNG the much needed social protection in terms of a stronger OSH Inspectorate, better OSH standards and practices. I wish to reiterate the Fijian Government’s strong commitment to continue to provide the necessary technical expertise through our Ministry of Labour to achieve these desired outcomes as committed in the original MOU and endorsed by the Fijian Cabinet on 5th April 2011.

The Prime Minister of Fiji, Rear Admiral (Retired) Voreqe Bainimarama, has made his full commitment during the last MSG Leaders’ Summit for the Fijian Government to provide assistance to the MSG Secretariat to ensure, inter-alia, regional integration and cooperation. The signing today forms part of this continuing bilateral cooperation between the two MSG nations. The Fijian Government fully appreciates the urgent need to get the OSH Reform in PNG moving to conclusion, noting that the massive US$19 billion Exxon Mobil’s PNG-LNG project is on track to come on-line and to deliver its first LNG cargo in 2014. Fiji’s commitment is reflected in the incorporation of the PNG OSH Reform timetable in the Fiji Ministry of Labour’s Corporate Plan commitments for 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014. This will continue until we have completed our commitments to achieve the desired and best results for the people of Papua New Guinea.

The MOU Extension to be signed in the next few minutes is the result of the discussions between the two Ministries of Labour after reviewing the progress of the original MOU and the two earlier MOU Extensions under the auspices of the ILO Suva office.

Under this third MOU Extension, the Fijian Labour Ministry commits to continue to undertake PNG’s Occupational Safety and Health Reform with the PNG Department of Labour in three phases between May last year until April 2014. We had finalized the PNG OSH Bill by August 2013 and presented it to the PNG Government by September 2013 for further consultations, which was followed by the organizational set-up of OSH programme by January 2014. My Ministry will then continue with the capacity building of PNG OSH Officers on the new OSH management system under the PNG OSH Bill after the Bill is passed by Parliament in July 2014.

My Permanent Secretary, who had been instrumental in the drafting of the legislation, was in PNG for a week in November last year when the draft Bill was further discussed with the PNG Government and the Stakeholders. We are awaiting the ILO report to be submitted shortly before the PNG OSH Bill is finalized and returned for tabling to the PNG Parliament scheduled for July 2014.

I am indeed delighted that the signing of the MOU today has fulfilled the wishes of our leaders. However, we certainly cannot be complacent with such an achievement as the real challenge before us is to effectively implement the MOU and actually “deliver the goods” for the benefits of our two nations.

Before I conclude, please allow me the opportunity to congratulate and extend my sincere appreciation to all parties concerned, both in PNG and Fiji, for their commitments and hard work in the successful implementations of the original MOU in 2011 including the two Extension MOUs in 2012 and 2013. Particularly, in ensuring that the commitments under the third Extension MOU signed today are delivered to ensure that a quality draft OSH Bill is tabled in the next sitting of the PNG Parliament with accompanying capacity building of PNG’s OSH Inspectorate.

May I remind all of you that the key outcome of this MOU at the end of the day is the prevention and reduction of workplace fatalities, injuries and diseases and the improvement in the quality of our working lives with increased productivity in PNG and Fiji. This will also contribute to the reduction of our decent work deficits in the Pacific through our collective commitments under the 2010 Port Villa Statement and the Pacific Decent Work Action Plan.

My heartfelt gratitude to Honorable Benjamin Poponawa and your Secretary for Labour Mr. George Vaso and members of your delegation for their continuing commitment and travelling to Fiji to grace this historical signing of our MOU today, and I am looking forward to similar partnerships in other Labour related areas.

May God Bless You All and May God Bless the Signing of the Third MOU Extension today.

Vinaka Vakalevu
Dhanyavaad
Thank You.