GPPOL Registers Membership with SINUW

Guadalcanal Plains Palm Oil Ltd listed its membership with the Solomon Islands National Union of Workers.

The company that has opened up the shattered oil palm plantations on the Guadalcanal Plains engages a thousand workers, and the biggest plantation in the country.

Secretary General of the National Union of Workers, Tony Kagovai, told Solomon Times that the membership came about following a "secret ballot".

"The employers of GPPOL decided to conduct the secret ballot to see which of the employees wanted to become members of SINUW," Kagovai said. "As a result, 99% of the workers wanted to become members of the Union."

Kagovai describes the membership as "a recognition issue for SINUW", and an open door for GPPOL to build a relationship with the Union.

He adds that guideline of the Union is being worked on for GPPOL employees.

Kagovai said there are still two outstanding clauses that would be looked into before it is officially signed.

He revealed that the agreement is still pending until further compliance from the management of GPPOL.