Melanesia
Solomon Islands
Growing PALM/RSE sender with significant fisheries and coastal work, and limited coverage of seasonal, domestic and fisher workers.
Legal setup
Solomon Islands labour law is administered by the Commissioner of Labour (Ministry of Commerce, Industries, Labour and Immigration) under multiple statutes: Employment Act, Labour Act, Trade Unions Act, Trade Disputes Act, Unfair Dismissal Act, Workmen's Compensation Act and Safety at Work Act. The Trade Unions Act governs registration and protection of union activity; the Trade Disputes Act provides conciliation and Trade Disputes Panel awards. FOA exists in law; enforcement capacity is a persistent challenge.
Key instruments
Trade Unions Act (Cap. 76)
Union registration, membership protections, trade disputes
Trade Disputes Act
Conciliation, Trade Disputes Panel, recognition issues
Employment Act / Labour Act
Contracts and basic employment standards
Unfair Dismissal Act; Safety at Work Act; Workmen's Compensation Act
Dismissal, OSH and injury companions
Union formation
Combinations of more than six persons with industrial-relations objects may register as trade unions under the Trade Unions Act. Anti-union employment conditions are void. Recognition and negotiation machinery feature in the Trade Disputes Act definition of trade disputes. In practice, SICTU and SINUW have been the historic centres of organised voice.
Union landscape
The Solomon Islands Council of Trade Unions (SICTU) is the national centre, historically built around the Solomon Islands National Union of Workers (SINUW). Coverage is incomplete for seasonal PALM/RSE workers, fishers, domestic and informal workers despite large and growing labour-mobility outflows. SICTU has publicly called for stronger protections and Australian union links for Solomon Islands PALM workers.
Strengths
- Multi-statute IR framework with explicit Trade Unions Act
- SICTU as national centre with historic SINUW base
- Active public advocacy on PALM worker welfare
- Labour Division enforcement mandate across seven Acts
- Growing remittance economy elevates worker-voice stakes
Gaps
- Seasonal workers weakly tied to domestic unions
- Agent-based recruitment cost and fairness problems
- Fisheries/coastal labour under-organised
- Domestic/informal work largely outside FOA practice
- Enforcement and inspectorate capacity stretched
Notable unions
Solomon Islands Council of Trade Unions (SICTU)
National centre; advocates on wages and PALM worker protections
Solomon Islands National Union of Workers (SINUW)
Historic general workers' union foundational to SICTU
News & updates
UnionSolomon Business Magazine · 2024
SICTU demands urgent government action to shield workers in Australia
SICTU calls for formal union links and stronger protections for Solomon Islands PALM workers.
NewsSolomon Star News · 2024
6,982 SI seasonal workers in Australia
Reporting on large Solomon Islands PALM workforce numbers in Australia.
GovernmentMinistry of Foreign Affairs & External Trade (Solomon Islands) · 2024
LMU takes claims of ill-treatment seriously
Labour Mobility Unit response to ill-treatment claims affecting PALM workers.
UnionSolomon Star News · 2024
SICTU to advocate for workers' rights
SICTU statement on fair industrial negotiations and cost-of-living pressures.
ReportWorld Bank · 2024
Opportunities for Linking Fisheries Management and Social Protection in Solomon Islands
Fisheries livelihoods and social-protection linkages relevant to coastal workers.
Relevant reports
World Bank2017
Solomon Islands Systematic Country Diagnostic
Jobs, hardship and institutional diagnostic for labour policy.
World Bank2024
Opportunities for Linking Fisheries Management and Social Protection in Solomon Islands
Fisheries workers and social-protection interface.
World Bank2014
Solomon Islands: Workforce Development
Skills and workforce systems linked to formal employment.
ADB2024
Making Space: Women's Participation in Higher Education in Solomon Islands
Gender and skills pipeline relevant to women's labour-market voice.
Government of Solomon Islands2016
Trade Unions Act (Solomon Islands)
Primary FOA/registration statute text.