Workers Union of Solomon Islands

About Workers Union of Solomon Islands (WUSI)

There are eleven 11 registered trade unions in the Solomon Islands. Ten of these registered trade Unions and Associations cover the employees in the public service sector. While the only trade Union that covers the workers employed in the private sector in Solomon Islands is the Workers Union of Solomon Islands (WUSI)

WUSI has a membership of over 6,000, spread over several provinces.  WUSI members are based in the Honaira Port, construction, plantations, tuna canneries, forestry as well as staff in provincial governments who are not covered by the Solomon Islands public sector union.

WUSI is not politically affiliated and operates as an independent trade union.

Key challenges for WUSI

Solomon Islands is a country which is made up of many coastal islands, located in isolation of each other within an area of 28,000 square miles across the Southern Western Pacific Ocean.  The population of Solomon Islands is scattered across these islands and so are the economic activities and employment opportunities.

Due to the geographical locations of all the islands, and being separated by the sea, travelling between these islands to visit and to organise members has proven to be a real challenge for this union. This is further frustrated by unpredictable weather conditions and high travel costs.

Political and economic instability and corruption undermines the ability of trade unions in the country to freely move forward and expand.

Covid-19 recovery has been slow for the Solomon Islands, with economic and business activities negatively impacted.

The combination of these challenges in recent years has resulted in a drastic reduction in union membership and union activities.