KOROR, Palau – The Palau Public Utilities Corporation (PPUC) seeks legislative changes to address employee contracts, benefits, and financial operations.
The proposed amendments, submitted to the national legislature, the Olbiil Era Kelulau (OEK), aim to improve employee retention, enhance healthcare options, and ensure financial stability for the corporation.
A central request is removing the two-year term limit for employees earning over $40,000 annually. PPUC argues this limit hinders attracting and retaining qualified personnel, citing cases where employees faced loan application difficulties due to concerns about job security under short contracts.
Furthermore, PPUC seeks the ability to offer private health insurance as a benefit, similar to other government corporations. They believe this would make them more competitive in attracting and retaining talent.
Regarding finances, PPUC proposes raising water rates in the outlying states, claiming current rates are insufficient to cover maintenance and improvement costs for aging rural water systems.
Additionally, the proposal seeks the ability to maintain a cash reserve for emergencies and mandates government subsidization if legislation hinders approved electricity rate increases.
The proposed amendments also address land ownership and solar energy. PPUC requests the national government take financial responsibility for compensation claims related to land previously used for water and wastewater operations that were later found to be privately owned.
Finally, they propose legal access to inspect grid-connected private solar systems and charge a monthly fee to recover associated costs.
The OEK has not yet commented on the proposal. PPUC expressed their willingness to discuss the amendments with the legislature further.