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

-Why cant the company buy from our local farmers, rather than buying from the highlands? Itsnot a big job. All the money was going back to the highlands. All the waste fish to go to themeal, they bring to the kitchen and even the bad fish turning yellow and blue, still wed have tocook and cover in sauce, we couldn’t complain, manager wouldn’t let us send it back hed forceus to cook and feed it. The chickens. And the man who brought chooks in, he never cut themright, they were always rotten when they arrived, he didn’t know how to kill or refrigerate thembefore they arrived, and he’d force us to take this rotten chicken, falling apart, and wed have tocook it and cover it with a sauce, we couldn’t complain. Stinking chicken. I don’t eat chickenthere. Only one person was supplying chicken for food. Kaprangi was the only one. There wasnever any other woman or farmer only Kaprangi was there selling chicken while I was there. Ihave no idea what this K50 they collected to start businesses, I don’t know, went to thehighlands? Couldn’t wear slippers, you had to wear gum boots, all of us. If you didn’t weargood shoes you’d be sent back home. So the women in production always had big sores. Bigproblems with sores, and pregnant women too were standing forever, because once they wentfor a break or for toilet they’d deduct these minutes from their pay. Why? From our little lousypay they’d take it out. Teenage girls, 14-15 years old are there.Getrude from Korogo Village Pagwi District, now at Nuigo 2 nd street, DOB 18-9-78. How didyou apply for the job? I have given my name to a women and that woman put my name on thenotice board for an interview, orientation and start work at August 4 th , 2004. I hd to sign a formcalled AON…They have given the rules saying not to chew betelnut, short finger nails, and notto drink alcohol in the factory area, and clean teeth. Are you a union member? Yes. Did youanswer yes or no to being a union member? No. But they themselves find out in our movementwhen trying to attend meetings. …They know but they did not do anything because we unionmembers are complaining to our payment. What is your job? I work at the loining section. Doyou wear safety clothes? We wear headgear, gown, and gumboots only. ..Some are used onesand others are new which have been in the stock for last issue. When we lose our clothes or anyequipment we are deducted K10 for that property. Casual are paid 90t hour and K1 forpermanent. I do get roughly K100 a fortnight. They are deducting money every fortnight, Idon’t know but they are saying that’s for employee contribution…The security of the companyhas their own transport but for us as field workers we don’t have any transport, even for thosewho live far from town. We have break time in lunch only and the time is almost 50 minutes forlunch. They serve a cup of rice, piece of kaukau or taro and if green is there a green too. …I dosmell that odor while working...it effects us when the power goes off in some seconds, we reallyfeel stomach ache in that moment. Did anyone ever tell you why the loinery moved to theharbour? No but for my own thought it might make it easy for them to transshift the fish to thefactory with no expense. How do the supervisors treat the workers? They used to shout at thewomen to work fast. …in a day we look to finish 117 trolleys or 110 trolleys of fish. Where arethe supervisors and managers from? Some are Filippinno and some are PNG women. Have youparticipated in the strike? Yes for two days. What agreement was made? They will increase ourwages. From 100 to 140 inn our wages. And we also make 45% of loined fish which is thehighest loined fish so they promised to celebrate at the end of the month. …Are you penalizedfor being late? If we are coming late we are asked to sign a warning letter. ..Today I have beenused to it so it is not a problem but when I was newly worked I do feel vomiting sometimes.…Some of the factory wastes which they give by their section is put in a container and sent tothe machine and the machine spins it and the water left is pumped out to the sea….They pay meK1 per hour as a permanent worker. When I was not working I was relying on marketingbusiness. We would roughly make K100 per week or fortnightly. Our fortnightly expenses arewater, store bought food, market food and sometimes clothes. …Too much labour and there isno extra hour added when working overtime.150