PNG woes (part 2)

 

I'm still in Rotation #24 but it's nearing the end. So let me continue with part 2 of this "PNG woes" post based on what I've observed all these years working in PNG (6 years and counting). Part 1 can be found here. Here are the some more of the common problems PNG nationals encounter that affect their performance at work and my time with the them.

3. Extremely High Cost-of-Living

If you think Aussies pay too much taxes, you're not informed well enough because although the taxation rate in PNG is roughly the same as Australia (used to be higher than Australia), wages can be up to 10 times lower and everyday goods like fresh groceries in the capital city are more expensive than Australia even after currency conversion. This is only getting worse with growing inflation. Believe it or not, I was told that even if the company wants to increase their salaries, they cannot because the PNG government has policies that keep wages within a uniform band across companies of a certain sector. Without delving into labour regulations, I can't vouch for the truth of that statement though. What I can do is listen to my operators' woes when they pour them onto me from every possible angle. Apart from lending my ears and on top of my day job of being the lead engineer ensuring safe and optimised operations, I coach and impart the local workforce within my production team with both hard and soft skills so they can be better-equipped to rise up the ladder and earn more that way. That's all I can do within my power. They're aware of unions in some of the company's Australian assets but they are not mature and united enough to explore that in any concrete fashion, to their disadvantage obviously.

As a result of this financial strife, they are forced to hustle more creatively. On site, to make ends meet, this "creativity" would take the form of a hyperactive overtime system i.e. people stay more than their 4 weeks so they can get double pay. The justification for overtime can sometimes be based on the flimsiest of reasons, but managers tend to close an eye to that because they all know the underlying struggles. Maybe they have done their numbers and concluded that this is still cheaper than hiring more people. Off site, they could be running other businesses (legit or otherwise - I have an operator who pimps out 5 girls that he "takes care of"). Hell, I was duped into importing goods from Australia. You see, I thought I was buying stuff for his personal use and once I realised he was reselling the clothing items with a markup, I told him I'm not going to help him again, but that didn't stop this operator from pestering me every now and then. By the way, thanks to PNG's "Australian heritage", they are crazy for R.M. Williams (much like Hermès to Asians).

4. Poor Health

Because fresh food is so expensive, and if people don't grow their own (e.g. if they live in the cities), the consequent reliance on unhealthy but cheaper processed and canned food leads to poor health outcomes. They are so conditioned to eating canned food that many of my operators choose canned corned beef over fresh steaks cooked in the mess. Why? It's all due to supply and demand working its magic. A 340g tin of corned beef now costs PGK$18.40 in PNG i.e. almost AUD$7 which is more expensive than what we get from Coles. Canned corned beef is now a luxury food item and that's PNG for you. I'll not elaborate on betel nut consumption here (you can watch this video if you're keen to know more), but suffice to say, years of betel nut chewing have killed their taste buds. Hence, without even tasting the food first, they have to add a copious amount of salt to make the already quite savoury food served on site more palatable. I've even seen people unscrewing the lid and pouring salt straight onto their meals, and we all know the harmfulness of an excessively high sodium diet.

In a country where modern medical help doesn't usually reach the masses in time because of how remote the many scattered villages can be (one of which is pictured above), it's no wonder the PNG demographic is so young (life expectancy is around 65 i.e. almost 20 years shy of Australia's). A few months ago, one of my operators died on site from cardiovascular complications and even though he didn't get the level of medical attention we're used to in the developed world, he would have gotten much worse had he been back home. I wrote about how Billy's death affected me in this post. Since that event, whenever my operators tell me they're feeling unwell with similar symptoms, I get edgy and start worrying.

5. Self-Inflicted Problems

Yes, sometimes their problems are basically of their own doing. Recently, one of my operators filmed himself in uniform going for a joyride to off-limit areas chewing betel nut (which is banned on site), and then uploading the clip on Tiktok, and HR caught wind of that. That particular operator was given many warnings before for various behavioral problems and was even demoted once, but he was never let go, and perhaps that's why he got so daring. We're so short-staffed and since they are so "cheap" to keep anyway, it seems on the surface to not be a big deal retaining them. However, they are a bad influence on others, especially impressionable apprentices, and so should be sacked as soon as possible (and not just moved to another facility).

Also, much of the local workforce resides in villages where they can live on the land and so their day job is only there to earn extra money for "luxuries" which they can give up any time (and then go back to farming). The peanuts they get paid compared to the high taxation and inflation add further fuel to the blaze. With that attitude, you can imagine how motivated they are to continue delivering at the required level and how a non-issue it is to get fired. Fortunately, that guy has since been removed from site (he was not only a poor performer, he has crossed me once by playing me against another person so he'll never get my trust ever again - that's a whole different story for next time. So good riddance). He now sits in a limbo "suspended" state as HR takes forever to do everything, including finding a replacement. This means that we all have to chip in to cover. We're currently short of 2 to 3 operator back-to-back roles (meaning 4 to 6 bodies) and with cost-cutting in full swing, do you think those positions will be replaced? I can almost hear management shouting down from high up "welcome to the new norm!".

I can go on and on about PNG (this 2-part post has gone far longer than originally planned), but before I get too carried away, I'd like to stress that this is not a whinge-fest and certainly not a move to disparage PNG people in any way. I've struck what I'd call a perfect balance with them on and off work i.e. we have real love for one another. For starters, I'm totally out to them and we can even crack off-colour gay jokes together (bear in mind that PNG is 96% Christian and extremely conservative). That's because they knew me as a person before they knew me as gay. In addition to the genuine glow in their eyes whenever they see me come back on shift, and taking me out for drinks in Port Moresby when they're on break, they tell me things that they don't divulge to other expatriates (and sometimes even their own). That's how I know for sure they'll have my back if and when I need support.

I always say that PNG is a totally unique place where people can be friendly and violent in the same measure. Yes, it's not a safe place, but I hate it when people are plainly negative about this country and its people without proper context and knowledge e.g. the doom and gloom warnings they put out for visitors sans the human element. If you're born in that environment, who is to say you'll be different? It's all about survival and I fully understand that. Hence, from a 100% non-judgemental position, I'm committed to helping them improve their lives (within limits). That's how I earn their trust and respect and that's also the source of energy pushing me to keep doing what I do.

I don't need to tell you how tough rotational work in those parts can be, but I'm truly enjoying myself there and that's mainly because of the PNG people and their interesting stories (and the obvious fact that I'm paid at a level I'm contented with). At work, we always break into random bursts of laughter and then huddle back together to face the challenges that pile on. There's never a dull moment. If you've not lived in PNG or amongst PNG folk for a significant period, you'll never grasp how one-of-a-kind this place and its people are.