Early Christmas present for Fiji Ports Group Staff

Some may call it an early Christmas present while some may call it a blessing.

But the hard work of the 138 Fiji Ports Corporation Limited and 80 Fiji Ship and Heavy Industries Limited (FSHIL) staff has not gone unseen by Government. This after the FPCL board chairman Shaheen Ali, made the big announcement that the companies would receive a bonus payout of $249,827.

The annoucement was made at Muaiwalu House, Walu Bay, Suva, yesterday.

The FPCL and FSHIL staff have thanked the Government for the $249,827 bonus payout.

Mr Ali said: “This includes a total of 138 FPCL staff who will receive $201,524 and 80 staff of Fiji Ships and Heavy Industries will receive $48,303.

“The bonus payout for the 2017 financial year, is based on assessment of individual KPIs (Key Performance Indicators), in line with a robust PMS (Performance management system) framework, as opposed to the across the board payout in the past.” Working for over 20 years with the FSHIL as a welder, 54-year-old Josefa Tiko of Vanuabalavu, Lau, said the bonus payout for the staff was an early Christmas gift.

“With the bonus amount, I will spend it on my family as Christmas is near and I can buy things for them,” Mr Tiko said.

Forty-five-year-old, Sumasafu Makrao of Rotuma, who has been working as a cleaner with FPCL for over five years, said he was thrilled to receive the bonus for the second time.

Mr Makrao said the bonus he received was for the year 2017. He also said he was fortunate enough to receive a bonus for the year of 2016 as well.

“The bonus had come just in time for me as my family and I prepare for Christmas. “For the year 2016, I had received a bonus which was sufficient but the bonus for the year 2017, I was thrilled and happy to know I got more than what I did before.

“I will spend some of the money to buy things for my family and keep some for the future needs of my family. My family and I were very excited because it meant a lot to us, when I received the bonus,” Mr Makrao said.

Both Mr Tiko and Mr Makrao thanked the FPCL chief executive officer Vajira Piyasena, the board chairman Mr Ali and Government for such policies that recognised them for their hard work over the years.