The PNG National Weather Service strike recently staged by officers nationwide has proven to be a learning curve for the Department of Transport.
Secretary Roy Mumu confirmed the current revised departmental structure that was due for presentation last year will be revisited and adjusted in light of the strike.
Mumu said given the experiences of the last 7 days, the organisational structure for the department and its line agencies will be revisited to tie all loose ends and more importantly, account for the welfare and needs of the weather officers.
“It’s a divine intervention that these issues come up. Now we’ll have to revisit the structure and tidy it up properly before we present it to the Department of Personnel Management.”
The structure will be revisited especially to adjust the regulatory functions of the Department and its line agencies relating to international obligations to maritime and aviation.
One issue that Mumu would like to impress upon the Staff of Transport Department, including Weather Service when the final version of the structure is presented, is the retention of staff and provision of adequate training.
Mumu said weather service is a specialised field, hence the revised structure will facilitate training for the current and future meteorologists in PNG.