Fishy business. The Social Impact of SST.pdf - Act Now!

moving on to Data Encoder and then to the Production Section for three months. Edwardworked as Supervisor in Production for 3 months and worked as Production Analyst beforeresigning to join the Sepik Saving and Loans Society.Helen is Edward’s girlfriend who works at South Seas Tuna Loining Factory’s section ofQuality Assurance. She works in the Quality Assurance since she was employed and as at thetime of interview she was for almost 1 year 3 months. Edward met Helen while working at thefactory.Edward: I worked with South Seas Tuna as at 25 February 2004 after I left Mount Hagen. Ijoined the Catering Section of the company as Catering Supervisor. In this job we plan menus,prepare the meals especially, lunch for the employee of the SST.We prepare basic food like rice, chicken, sausages, and vegetables from the market such asbanana, kaukau, greens and taro. Although, most of the food staff and bought from the localmarkets, many vegetable are bought from the Highlands regions through our suppliers. Localfarmers don’t sell their products directly to the company but to Wewak Freezers. We alsobought our protein supplement such as chicken mainly from them. They are subcontracted tothe Catering section to supply us food.The company does not prepare separate food for the management and the subordinates workingon the production chain. No, they have the same food, but the administration staff have certainprivileges such as they choose what they want to eat and what quantity. Unlike the productionand other subordinates. They have no say on what they want to eat but take what is served tothem. Also, the same food is prepared differently for the administrative workers and the otherordinary factory workers. Normally, for the Administrative workers have their food betterprepared.After 3 months with the Catering department I made an internal transfer because of workingconditions, especially by the pay I was getting. In Catering I got paid 90 toea per hour rate. So Imoved to Data Encoding were the pay rate is K1.50 per hour. I worked for three monthsbecause 3 months is their probation period. I waited for 3 months hoping for my pay to improvedespite my repetitive discussions with my mediate supervisor but nothing to be forthcoming. Imade another move to the Production Analysts were I worked directly with people loining thefish, skinning, cooking, etc. I was made a supervisor with K3 per hour rate which wasreasonable. But the amount of work I do in the factory is not compensated well, and especiallythe assembly line workers get really poor pay. For the catering they get K72.00 per fortnight.That is why most of the employees leave and equally the problem of transportation. Unlike theRD Tuna in Madang SST failed considerably to provide transportation to the factory. At leastimportantly transportation to the factory especially for the night shift workers would be veryhelpful. Many women are stopped from coming to work because their husband or their parentsfear they would get into trouble. There are many occasions were they get harassed or threatenedby drunkards or rascals on the road at night times. I even stopped Helen from going to work fewtimes and she got two warnings from being terminated. The company have a very highabsenteeism and turnover rate. Some people just walk away from their jobs and others are firedby the company. The company by the strategy of hire-fire bases. They can hire someone todayand fire him/her tomorrow. This is because they deal with a lot of unskilled labour market morethat they can recruit new people from the settlements or the village for anyone who is willing towork. If you go late or are absent three times you are likely to be receiving warning letters andafter the third time you will be terminated. The rules are relaxed for the administrative142