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Kiribati - Compensation & Benefit Legislation

CAPITAL

Tarawa

 

CLIMATE

Tropical climate; marine, hot and humid, and moderated by trade winds.

 

LANGUAGES

English (official) and I-Kiribati.

 

CURRENCY

Australian Dollar (1 USD = 1.85818 AUD as of May 1, 2002).

 

KIRIBATI - COST-OF-LIVING

ERI's Relocation Assessor is a recommended source for cost-of-living data.

 

KIRIBATI - EMBASSY/CONSULATES

The United States does not have an embassy in Kiribati. The ambassador to the Marshall Islands is accredited to Kiribati.

 

U.S. Embassy in Majuro (Republic of the Marshall Islands)

P.O. Box 1379

Majuro, MH 96960-1379

Marshall Islands

Telephone: (692) 247-4011

Fax: (692) 247-4012

Note: The U.S. Embassy does not have a street address in Majuro. The Embassy is located on the ocean-side of the island's road, near the Church of the Latter-Day Saints and Gibson's Express, "Long Island."

 

There is no Embassy of Kiribati in the United States. For information on entry requirements, please contact the Honorary Consulate of the Republic of Kiribati.

 

Honorary Consulate of the Republic of Kiribati

850 Richards Street, Suite 503

Honolulu, Hawaii 96813

Telephone: (808) 529-7703

Fax: (808)521-8304

 

KIRIBATI - HOLIDAYS

 

KIRIBATI - MINIMUM AGE

The law prohibits the employment of children under the age of 14. Children through the age of 15 are prohibited from industrial employment and employment aboard ships.

 

(Section 6.d. Acceptable Conditions of Work, Kiribati – Report of Human Rights Practices, 2001, U.S. Department of State.)

 

KIRIBATI - MINIMUM REMUNERATION

There is no minimum wage. There is provision for a minimum wage at ministerial discretion, but it has never been implemented.

 

(Section 6.e. Acceptable Conditions of Work, Kiribati – Report of Human Rights Practices, 2001, U.S. Department of State.)

 

KIRIBATI - REMUNERATION

ERI's Geographic and Salary Assessors are recommended sources for international remuneration covering 189 countries.

 

KIRIBATI - REPORT OF HUMAN RIGHTS PRACTICES (2001, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE)

Section 6 Worker Rights

 

a. The Right of Association

 

Freedom of association is provided for in the Constitution, and workers are free to join and organize unions. Over 90 percent of the work force are occupied in fishing or subsistence farming, but the small wage sector has a relatively strong and effective trade union force. An estimated 10 percent of the wage-earning workers are union members. In 1982 seven registered trade unions merged to form the Kiribati Trade Union Congress (KTUC), which has approximately 2,500 members. There are no official public sector trade unions; however, unionized nurses and teachers make up approximately 30-40 percent of total union membership.

 

The law provides for the right to strike. However, strikes are rare; the last one took place in 1980.

 

Unions are free to affiliate internationally. The KTUC is affiliated with the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions.

 

b. The Right to Organize and Bargain Collectively

 

The law protects workers from employer interference in their right to organize and administer unions. The Government does not control or restrict union activities; however, unions must register with the Government. Collective bargaining is provided for under the Industrial Relations Code. The Government sets wages in the large public sector. However, in a few statutory bodies and government-owned companies, employees may negotiate wages and other conditions. In the private sector, individual employees also may negotiate wages with employers. In keeping with tradition, negotiations generally are nonconfrontational. There have been no reports of antiunion discrimination; however, mechanisms exist for resolving complaints were they to arise.

 

There are no export processing zones.

 

c. Prohibition of Forced or Compulsory Labor

 

The Constitution prohibits forced or compulsory labor, and there were no reports that such practices occurred.

 

The prohibition does not mention specifically forced and bonded labor by children; however, there were no reports that such practices occurred.

 

d. Status of Child Labor Practices and Minimum Age for Employment

 

The law prohibits the employment of children under the age of 14. Children through the age of 15 are prohibited from industrial employment and employment aboard ships. Labor officers from the Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and Employment generally enforce these laws effectively, given the rudimentary conditions of the economy. Children rarely are employed outside the traditional economy. Although not prohibited specifically, forced and bonded labor by children is not known to occur.

 

The Government has not ratified ILO Convention 182 on the worst forms of child labor.

 

e. Acceptable Conditions of Work

 

There is no minimum wage. There is provision for a minimum wage at ministerial discretion, but it has never been implemented. Income tends to be pooled within the extended family, and the standard income appears adequate to provide a decent standard of living for a worker and family. There is no legislatively prescribed workweek. Workers in the public sector (80 percent of the wage-earning work force) work 36 1/4 hours per week, with overtime pay for additional hours.

 

Employment laws provide rudimentary health and safety standards for the workplace. For example, employers must provide an adequate supply of clean water for workers and ensure the existence of sanitary toilet facilities. Employers are liable for the expenses of workers injured on the job. The Government's ability to enforce employment laws is hampered by a lack of qualified personnel. Workers do not have the right to remove themselves from hazardous work sites without risking loss of employment.

 

There are no laws specifically to protect foreign workers; however, there are no significant numbers of foreign workers and no reports of mistreatment. Some foreign volunteers and missionaries work in the schools.

 

f. Trafficking in Persons

 

The law does not prohibit trafficking in persons, and there have been no reports that persons were trafficked to, from, or within the country; however, some observers believe that trafficking occurs. Nevertheless, there is no specific evidence of trafficking.

 

KIRIBATI - SOCIAL SECURITY

Social Security Office of International Programs:

 

http://www.ssa.gov/SSA_Home.html

 

KIRIBATI - STANDARD WORKWEEK

There is no legislatively prescribed workweek. Workers in the public sector (80 percent of the wage-earning work force) work 36 1/4 hours per week, with overtime pay for additional hours.

 

(Section 6.e. Acceptable Conditions of Work, Kiribati – Report of Human Rights Practices, 2001, U.S. Department of State.)