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Nauru - Compensation & Benefit Legislation

CAPITAL

Nauru has no official capital; government offices are in the Yaren District.

 

CLIMATE

Tropical climate; monsoonal with a rainy season from November to February.

 

LANGUAGES

Nauruan (official, a distinct Pacific Island language), and English (widely understood, spoken, and used for most government and commercial purposes).

 

LEGAL SYSTEM

Nauru’s legal system consists of acts of the Nauru Parliament and British common law.

 

CURRENCY

Australian Dollar (1 USD = 1.82682 AUD as of May 15, 2002).

 

NAURU - COST-OF-LIVING

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

 

NAURU - EMBASSY/CONSULATES

The United States does not have an embassy in Nauru. The U.S. Ambassador to Fiji is accredited to Nauru.

 

U. S. Embassy at Suva (Fiji)

31 Loftus St.

P.O. Box 218

Suva, Fiji

Telephone: [679] 314-466

Fax: [679] 300-081

http://www.amembassy-fiji.gov

 

Nauru does not have an embassy in the U.S., but does have a consulate office in Guam.

 

Consulate of the Republic of Nauru in Guam

ADA Professional Building

Marine Drive, First Floor

Agana, Guam 96910

Telephone: (671) 649-7106

 

NAURU - HOLIDAYS

NAURU - MINIMUM AGE

The law sets age 17 as the minimum age of employment.

 

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

 

NAURU - MINIMUM REMUNERATION

The Government sets the minimum yearly wage administratively for the public sector. Since November 1992, that rate has been $A9,056 (approximately $6,562) for those 21 years of age or older. The rate is progressively lower for those under 21 years of age. Employers determine wages for foreign contract workers based on market conditions and the consumer price index. Usually foreign workers and their families receive free housing, utilities, medical treatment, and often a food allowance.

 

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

 

NAURU - REMUNERATION

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

 

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

Section 6 Worker Rights

 

a. The Right of Association

 

The Constitution provides for the right of citizens to form and belong to trade unions or other associations. However, the country has virtually no labor laws, and there are no trade unions. Past efforts to form unions were discouraged officially. The transient nature of the mostly foreign work force and the relative prosperity of the citizenry also have served to hamper efforts to organize the labor force. The right to strike is neither protected, prohibited, nor limited by law. No strikes took place during the year. There are no prohibitions or limits on the right of unions to affiliate with international bodies.

 

b. The Right to Organize and Bargain Collectively

 

While there are no legal impediments, collective bargaining does not take place. The private sector employs only about 1 percent of salaried workers. For government workers, public service regulations determine salaries, working hours, vacation periods, and other employment matters.

 

There are no export processing zones.

 

c. Prohibition of Forced or Compulsory Labor

 

The Constitution forbids forced or compulsory labor, including forced and bonded labor by children, and the Government effectively enforces these prohibitions.

 

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

 

The law sets age 17 as the minimum age of employment. The only two large employers, the Government and the NPC, honor this rule. Some children under the age of 17 work in the few, small, family-owned businesses.

 

The country is not a member of the International Labor Organization (ILO) and has not ratified ILO Convention 182 on the worst forms of child labor.

 

The Constitution prohibits forced and bonded labor by children, and the Government enforces this prohibition effectively (see Section 6.c.).

 

e. Acceptable Conditions of Work

 

Minimum wages exist for office workers and manual laborers and provide an adequate, if modest, standard of living for a worker and family. Most families live in simple but adequate housing, and almost every family owns some sort of motor vehicle. The Government sets the minimum yearly wage administratively for the public sector. Since November 1992, that rate has been $6,562 ($A9,056) for those 21 years of age or older. The rate is progressively lower for those under 21 years of age. Employers determine wages for foreign contract workers based on market conditions and the consumer price index. Usually foreign workers and their families receive free housing, utilities, medical treatment, and often a food allowance. Some noncitizen contract workers have complained about conditions in company living compounds. By regulation the workweek for office workers is 36 hours, and for manual laborers, it is 40 hours in both the public and private sectors. Neither law nor regulations stipulate a weekly rest period; however, most workers observe Saturdays and Sundays as holidays.

 

The Government sets health and safety standards. The NPC has an active safety program that includes an emphasis on worker education and the use of safety equipment such as helmets, safety shoes, and dust respirators. The NPC has a safety officer who is specifically responsible for improving safety standards and compliance throughout the company.

 

f. Trafficking in Persons

 

The law does not specifically prohibit trafficking; however, there were no reports that persons were trafficked to, from, or within the country.

 

NAURU - STANDARD WORKWEEK

By regulation the workweek for office workers is 36 hours, and for manual laborers, it is 40 hours in both the public and private sectors. Neither law nor regulations stipulate a weekly rest period; however, most workers observe Saturdays and Sundays as holidays.

 

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