THE Sogavare led government has taken a diplomatic approach to re-solve the long drawn industrial dispute of Russell Islands Plantation Estate Limited (RIPEL) at Yandina.
This came after Prime Minister Sogavare sent a delegation to meet with RIPEL general manager, John Whiteside last December to find ways of re-opening the operation.
RIPEL management has fully welcomed the approach after past successive governments failed to address the 11 years impasse.
Mr Whiteside said, this was the first time in history of RIPEL saga that a government has taken this approach to re-solve all these issues.
He said, other governments have side-tracked RIPEL management for dialogue, instead they set up taskforces, commission of inquiry and even trying to deport its managers.
“The Sikua government had set up a Commission of Inquiry into RIPEL but no findings have to been released until today.
“The Danny Philip’s government decided to pay-off the property from Lever Solomons Ltd but his successor failed to honor it,” Whiteside said.
He said when Gordon Darcy Lilo came in power, his government decided to deport him which the High Court blocked the deportation order.
However, the Lilo’s government succeeded in dis-allowing Patrick Wong from entering the country as a prohibited immigrant.
Whiteside said the underlying problem at RIPEL was law and order problem, which responsible authorities needs to address it first before operation can resume.
He said all the in and out of RIPEL was stated in a report given to the PMO delegation that visited him.
“It’s now up to the government to find ways of re-solving it,” he said.
The RIPEL operation came to a standstill following an industrial strike backed up by defunct Solomon Islands National Union of Workers (SINUW) on 17th June 2004.
At that time, RIPEL employed a total of 962 workers.
By EDDIE OSIFELO
