Minimum wage crisis: Kanau demands action for PNG’s lowest paid workers

General Secretary of the PNG Trade Union Congress, Clemence Kanau, has made an appeal for immediate action on Papua New Guinea’s stagnant minimum wage, describing the issue as a national crisis that has been ignored for over a decade.

Speaking before the Minimum Wage Board, Kanau presented a detailed submission calling for a major overhaul of the current wage system, which he said fails to reflect the rising cost of living faced by over 300,000 minimum wage earners in Port Moresby.

“The workers who grow our coffee, palm oil, and cocoa, and those guarding our buildings or working in seafood factories, are being paid as little as K3.50 an hour,” Kanau said.
“They are the backbone of our economy, yet many are forced to choose between food and medicine for their children.”

Kanau highlighted real-life examples of workers struggling to survive, including a security guard earning K140 a week while paying for medical care and uniforms out of pocket. He said the disparities between worker earnings and business profits, with retail sales growing by 80% in recent years while wages remain stagnant.

"We need to set a standard of minimum wage that is reflecting our daily living in the country today," he said.

“Since 2014, the price of goods and services has increased by 206%, but wages have not kept pace."

The submission included data spanning back to 2014 and proposed setting a new minimum wage at K5.00 by 2026, with annual adjustments based on inflation and the cost of living. Kanau warned that continuing to ignore these realities would deepen inequality and social hardship across the nation.

He acknowledged the government’s 2023 commitment to raise the minimum wage, but urged the board to act decisively and set a standard that reflects the actual cost of living.

Kanau concluded by calling for justice and dignity for PNG’s lowest-paid workers:

"How can there be equality if we deny our workers what is best for them?"