BY NED GAGAHE
The Solomon Islands Council of Trade Unions (SICTU) has expressed deep disappointment over the Australian Government’s decision to revoke its commitment to a 30-hour work week for Pacific Islands workers under the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme, a move described as a betrayal of Pacific partners and workers’ rights.
SICTU in a strong statement said the reversal represents not just a policy change, but “a significant setback for workers’ rights and a breach of trust that undermines the very spirit of partnership” the PALM scheme was built on.
SICTU National Secretary Adrian Tuhanuku said the decision effectively abandons Pacific workers who contribute to the Australian economy under challenging conditions.
“Our counterparts at the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) have rightly fought for Pacific workers to receive the same standard working conditions as their Australian counterparts,” Mr. Tuhanuku said.
“The 30-hour work week was a hard-won victory for fairness and dignity. Its revocation is a betrayal of that progress and leaves our workers vulnerable once again.”
He said the policy reversal maintains the outdated 120-hour monthly average, a loophole that allows employers to vary work hours from week to week, often resulting in long periods of underemployment and lost income.
“This decision prioritises employer flexibility over the physical and mental health of our workers.
“It risks institutionalising a lower standard of working conditions for Pacific workers doing the same jobs as Australians,” Tuhanuku said.
SICTU also criticised the timing of the announcement, just weeks before the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility General Meeting scheduled to take place in Honiara from 3–6 November, calling it “disrespectful and diplomatically insensitive.”
“To make such a unilateral decision on the eve of a meeting to be hosted here in our capital, where we are meant to engage as equal partners, is a severe diplomatic misstep,” Tuhanuku said.
SICTU has called on the Solomon Islands Government to raise the issue at the highest bilateral level with Canberra and seek an official explanation from the Australian Federal Government, noting that the reversal has not been announced on the official PALM scheme website.
The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) also condemned the Albanese Government’s decision, warning that more than 14,000 PALM workers across the Pacific will be worse off every year as a result of the policy backflip.
In a media release issued on 15 October 2025, ACTU said the government’s move to abandon the guaranteed 30-hour work week “is a backwards step for workers’ rights in Australia.”
“Employers can hold the PALM program to ransom by threatening to use backpackers instead of PALM workers every time changes are made to prevent exploitation,” ACTU President Michele O’Neil said.
“Workers’ rights should not be discounted for migrant workers. The Government must take extra steps to protect these vulnerable workers and ensure they are not exploited on this program.”
ACTU said that without a weekly minimum, PALM workers could again face situations where they work insufficient hours to meet living costs or repay debts for accommodation and transport — deductions often controlled by their employers.
The union movement in both countries is urging the Australian Government to reinstate the 30-hour minimum by April 2026, as originally promised, and ensure transparency and consultation with Pacific governments and trade unions in future decisions.
Both ACTU and SICTU reaffirm their support for the PALM scheme as a mechanism for mutual benefit and skills development, but stressed that its credibility depends on fair and equal treatment for Pacific workers.
“The PALM scheme must continue to be a vehicle for mutual benefit and shared prosperity, not a source of exploitation and broken promises.
“The Australian Government must reverse this decision and honour its commitment to fair work for our people. The credibility of the entire scheme among Pacific workers depends on it,” Tuhanuku said.
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