BY GEORGINA KEKEA   WORKERS in Solomon Islands receive one of the lowest wages in the world. Since 2008, the minimum wage in Solomon Islands has remained the same. The current rate is SBD$4 per hour for all workers except those working in the fishing and agricultural sector. They receive SBD$3.20 per hour. In comparison to other countries, the yearly minimum wage for Solomon Islands is USD$1,005 in International Currency. International currency is a measure of currency based on the value of the United States dollar in 2009. With this comparison, Solomon Islands sits in the bottom percent of all countries based on the yearly minimum wage rate. “There are 99 countries with a higher minimum wage then in Solomon Islands,” Minimum-Wage.org reports. While workers in Solomon Islands are struggling to cope with the high cost of living, government on the other hand is prioritizing labour mobility as a way to send Solomon Islanders overseas to earn so called, lucrative

BY GEORGINA KEKEA CHAIRMAN of the Kolobisi Tailings Dam Association (KTDA) has disproved media reports that Gold Ridge gold mine in Central Guadalcanal is about to be reopened soon. In a statement, Chairman Primo Amusaea says he is calling on relevant authorities including the ministries of Mines and Energy and the Cabinet Subcommittee on Gold Ridge to verify claims by the holders of the Gold Ridge Mining Lease that they are about to reopen the mine.  He said it was claimed that significant progress has been made but he has reasons to believe otherwise. Goldridge mine site. He said what was being reported in the local media does not reflect what has been observed on the ground. “Reports that people had moved out of the Mining Lease area is not true,” Amusaea said. On the contrary, he said, people from the surrounding areas continue to move into the mining pits.   The plant site has been overgrown with grass and the area is dotted with rusted pi