PNG Ports has made provisions in its policies that enable its male employees to take time off work for paternity leave.
The paternity leave allows for men to take time off from work (three days) to provide support to their partners during the birth of their newborn child.
While women are entitled to receive maternity leave, PNG Ports recognizes that it is equally important for men to be with their partners to welcome their newborns, and is one of the few companies that provides this benefit for men.
PNG Ports, through its Human Capital Department, at a recent awareness encouraged its male staff members to be responsible and supportive fathers, and use their paternity leaves to be with their partners at such times.
Apart from this, PNG Ports staff also enjoy full medical and insurance cover and competitive salaries. They also have other entitlements and benefits that give employees no reason to ‘slack off’ from their work.
This was made known during a recent awareness on company policies and procedures conducted by the Department across 11of the 15 ports that PNG Ports owns and operates.
The awareness was to update staff on the department’s revised policies and procedures, attend to questions and use staff feedback to improve or amend the policies.
Human Capital Manager, Rex Kini, said as a result of the awareness, the company would now expect improved staff understanding and adherence to company policy and procedures.
The Human Capital Department will continue to deal accordingly with those staff who do not abide by policy.
PNG Ports Chief Executive Officer, Stanley Alphonse, said PNG Ports as a company that provides equal opportunities for its staff, was giving its male staff the privilege to apply and take paternity leaves.
“PNG Ports realises that providing equal opportunities and allowing staff to exercise their rights is the way forward in any company. We want to make our staff happy so that they in turn perform to high expectations,” Mr Alphonse said.
PNG Ports is a State Owned Enterprise (SOE) that owns and operates 15 sea ports located in all maritime provinces in the country and employs more than 600 skilled Papua New Guineans.
PNG Ports is the premier port services provider in the region and one of the profit-making SOE’s.
