Nupela Masta? Local and Expatriate Labour in a Chinese-Run Nickel Mine in Papua New Guinea

Abstract

Studies of mining projects in Papua New Guinea, since the development of the Panguna copper mine in Bougainville during the 1960s, have contributed to our understanding of the politics of interactions between resource companies, host governments and landowners. The Ramu Nickel Mine, situated in northern Papua New Guinea, is China's largest investment in the Pacific to date. While many issues are constant, one aspect specific to Chinese resource investment is the use (or non-use) of hist country labour, and the high proportion of Chinese labour employed at the mine sites. This practice differs from the relatively limited, short-term use of expatriate labour common to Western mining projects in developing countries. The attitudes and experiences of local and Chinese workers and managers will be examined to determine what is new in this approach to resource extraction.