By Mike Puia
FORMER member of the Solomon Islands National Provident Fund (SINPF), Clement Waiwori, reiterated the need to review the current SINPF Act.
Mr Waiwori, who was with the SINPF board for nine years, said the SINPF Act has never been reviewed since 1976.
He said any review will take long, as it will go back to parliament, but it is good for the SINPF and its members.
Waiwori’s comments come as a group of people intend to form an association to represent SINPF members in the SINPF board.
He said he welcomes the move but he wants to see the association pursuing a review to the Act.
“The association needs to fight for a review to the Act and not merely for a position in the board,” Waiwori said.
He said the review should look into increasing employee representative in the board from one to two. The two employee representatives are to represent employees in the private and public sector.
Only one board member represents employees, as required by the Act.
This member is appointed by the SIPEU. There is also another member who represented employers and is appointed by the Solomon Islands Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SICCI).
Waiwori said having two members in the board is better and will have weight in any board discussions.
During his time in the board, Waiwori said the only time the board listened is when he uses a strike threat.
“The association should pressure the minister of finance and Treasury, Manasseh Sogavare, to make the review to the Act his priority.
Waiwori was also a board member of the Central Bank of Solomon Islands (CBSI), Solomon Islands Printers (SIP), Investment Corporation of Solomon Islands (ICSI) that controls State Owned Enterprises (SOEs) and Solomon Islands Mutual Insurance Centre (SMI).
