Melanesia
Papua New Guinea
Largest Pacific labour market — extractive and urban formal work beside vast informal, rural and household labour.
Legal setup
PNG's industrial-relations core is the Industrial Relations Act 1962 (disputes, awards, arbitration) and the Industrial Organizations Act 1962 (registration and control of industrial organisations). The Employment Act and related statutes cover contracts, wages and maternity protections. The Department of Labour and Industrial Relations administers the system. Legislation is widely regarded as dated and under review for reform. Freedom of association exists, with stronger practice in formal urban and extractive workplaces than in rural/informal economies.
Key instruments
Industrial Relations Act 1962 (Cap. 174)
Disputes, awards, arbitration and industrial matters
Industrial Organizations Act 1962 (Cap. 173)
Registration and regulation of unions/employer organisations
Employment Act (and related OSH/compensation statutes)
Individual employment standards and protections
ILO C87/C98 obligations and DWCP framework
Guide reform and tripartite practice
Union formation
Industrial organisations register with the Registrar under the Industrial Organizations Act. Registered unions may participate in industrial disputes and awards under the Industrial Relations Act. Recognition and bargaining are strongest in formal sectors; informal, domestic and rural workers rarely access registration-based pathways.
Union landscape
The Papua New Guinea Trade Union Congress (PNGTUC) is the principal national centre and ILO tripartite partner. Coverage concentrates in public service, mining, plantations and urban formal employment. Vast informal, rural and household labour — and growing PALM/RSE cohorts — sit largely outside union reach. Fisheries and coastal labour add C188-relevant risks. Gendered violence and OSH gaps are persistent concerns for women workers.
Strengths
- PNGTUC as established national centre and tripartite partner
- Statutory industrial-organisation registration pathway
- Experience in formal-sector awards and disputes
- Growing labour-mobility programmes create new organising agendas
- ILO DWCP 2018–2022 foundation for decent-work priorities
Gaps
- 1960s IR statutes overdue for comprehensive reform
- Weak reach into informal, domestic and rural work
- Seasonal/PALM workers under-represented
- Fisheries/coastal crew voice limited
- Enforcement and OSH capacity uneven outside major centres
Notable unions
Papua New Guinea Trade Union Congress (PNGTUC)
Peak national centre and social partner
Sector unions (public service, mining, plantations, maritime)
Formal-economy coverage base under PNGTUC and peers
News & updates
ReportWorld Bank · 2022
Papua New Guinea — Enhancing Labor Mobility Project
World Bank project supporting PNG labour-mobility systems as PALM/RSE participation grows.
NewsDevpolicy / PNG Update · 2024
Papua New Guinea in Pacific labour mobility schemes
Analysis of PNG's rising but still modest share of PALM employment.
ReportILO · 2018
Papua New Guinea Decent Work Country Programme 2018–2022
Tripartite DWCP setting employment, rights and social-dialogue priorities.
ReportWorld Bank · 2026-06
PNG Economic Update — Turning Growth into Jobs
Jobs-focused economic update relevant to formal/informal labour-market dualism.
Relevant reports
ILO2018
Papua New Guinea Decent Work Country Programme 2018–2022
Core FOA, employment and social-dialogue country framework.
World Bank2022
Enhancing Labor Mobility from Papua New Guinea (project)
Operational labour-mobility systems as seasonal sending grows.
World Bank2012
Papua New Guinea: Country Gender Assessment 2011–2012
Gendered work, informal and household labour risks.
ADB2017
Promoting Skill Transfer for Human Capacity Development in Papua New Guinea
Skills and workforce development linked to formal employment.
ADB2009
Fisheries in the Economies of the Pacific Island Countries and Territories
Fisheries labour-economy context for C188-related risks.