Long-serving employees acknowledges Solomon Ports

By Eliza Kukutu

Long-serving employees of the Solomon Islands Ports Authority have acknowledged Solomon Ports for recognizing their contributions to the state-owned enterprise.

Solomon Ports celebrated its 68th anniversary yesterday in Honiara, marking 68 years of service to the country and the region.

As part of the celebration, long-service employees were awarded with certificates and token of appreciations for their contributions to Solomon Ports.

Lorraine Simon was among the female employees recognized in the event.

Mrs. Simon started working for Solomon Ports as a Personal Clerk in 1994. Over the years, she has shown commitment, excelled in her work and is now one of the Human Resource Officers of Solomon Ports.

Reflecting on her experiences, Lorraine said there have been major changes since she started working 30 years ago.

” When I came to Ports, I was among the only 12 female employees out of the 100 plus workers employed here. Now, we have a lot of female employees with over 500 staff. So, it is good to see that the management now prioritizes the employment of both genders.”

“There have also been significant changes in terms of the working environment, the infrastructures and the staff welfare as we have improved a lot, and I thank Ports for driving change within the company.”

Lorraine also acknowledged the Solomon Ports management for taking the initiative to recognize them in the anniversary celebrations.

She also encouraged the current staff to work hard and remain committed in their employment.

“I want to thank the current management for seeing it fit to remember us in this anniversary celebration. Thank you for going out of your way to create something special for us.”

“To the current staff, I encourage you to be patient, work hard towards your goal and make sure to save money. This way, you can build something for yourself and years from now you, can look back and proudly say that you have achieved that while working at Ports.”

Donald Taona also shared similar sentiments during the celebration.

Mr. Taona joined Solomon Ports from 1987 to 1989 as an Apprentice. After graduating in 1990 from the Solomon Islands College of Higher Education (now SINU), he was then formally employed at Solomon Ports as a Carpenter and Joinery staff.

Today, Donald is the Assistant Project Manager Building and Construction at Solomon Ports.

Speaking to SIBC News, Mr. Taona said Solomon Ports has grown impressively over the years in terms of its structure, highlighting its commitment towards staff welfare.

“Solomon Ports has developed and changed positively throughout the years in terms of the company structure, improvements in logistics and even the working environment. I acknowledge and congratulate the management and staff for reaching 68 years of success.”

“And I think Solomon Ports is one of the best companies in the country when it comes to working conditions and staff welfare. I have enjoyed my time working here over the years and I am even more happy to see these changes.”

Meanwhile, Solomon Ports Chief Executive Officer, Eranda Kotelawala highlighted that the anniversary is commemorated to recognize the contributions of staff towards the success of the company.

“Solomon Ports has come a long way so this a celebration and a reflection of the achievements that our great set of employees have contributed to getting Ports to where it is today, as a leading and thriving Port regionally and globally.”

“We believe that as an organization grows, we all need to understand that the success of any organization is the people behind it. Treating and looking after those employees is part of the management’s contributions as well. So, this is what we have done, and we will continue to acknowledge the hard work of our employees,” he said.

Solomon Ports was established on 4th June 1956 as a statutory corporation by an Act of Parliament.

It is now a wholly owned Solomon Islands government authority under the State-Owned Enterprises Act 2007.

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