Twenty-four former security guards dismissed nine years ago have finally secured justice, after the Trade Disputes Panel (TDP) ruled that their termination was unfair.
The 24 were dismissed on the grounds of redundancy in February 2017 by Super Entertainment Centre Ltd, who employed them at that time.
Super Entertainment Centre Ltd is the operator of Supreme Casino, part of the Pacific Crown Hotel at Kukum, central Honiara.
With the help of Workers Union of Solomon Islands (WUSI), they took up the matter with TDP, which finally ruled in their favour.
The ruling, delivered by TDP Chairman Willy Vaiyu and published on 21 August 2026, brings to an end the nine-year legal battle.
The Panel has ordered Super Entertainment Centre Ltd to compensate all 24 workers.
The compensation package includes:
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one month’s salary in lieu of notice;
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payment of outstanding annual leave;
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repatriation costs to the workers’ home islands;
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three months’ salary as compensation for loss of employment; and
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a 7% Solomon Islands National Provident Fund contribution on the compensation amount.
Any redundancy payments the workers have already received will be deducted from the final compensation awarded.
Nine-year Dispute
The dispute began in May 2017, when 32 former security guards lodged complaints with the TDP following their termination on February 13 that year.
Nine of the complainants later withdrew their cases, resulting in their files being closed. The remaining 24 workers continued with the dispute, represented by lawyer James Apaniai.
Super Entertainment Centre Ltd, represented by counsel Andrew Radclyffe, maintained that the dismissals were lawful and resulted from an operational redundancy.
The company relied on a formal request it submitted to the Commissioner of Labour on 10 February 2017, seeking approval to make 32 security guards redundant.
The Commissioner approved the request three days later, on February 13 – the same day the workers were terminated.
To simplify the proceedings, the parties agreed to use two workers, Chris O’ogau and John Alabae, as test cases.
The Panel’s findings in those cases would then apply to the remaining 22 complainants.
Panel Rejects Redundancy Argument
In its ruling, the Panel considered the protections provided under sections 2 and 4 of the Unfair Dismissal Act (Cap. 77).
While acknowledging an employer’s right to manage its workforce, the Panel said employees have a statutory right not to be unfairly dismissed.
“The law recognises genuine redundancy as a legitimate basis for termination.
“However, after examining the circumstances surrounding the workers’ dismissals – including the timing of the employer’s request, the Commissioner’s approval and the subsequent terminations – the Panel concluded that the company had acted unreasonably,” the ruling reads.
The Panel found that the termination of the guards’ employment amounted to unfair dismissal rather than a lawful redundancy.
The ruling is subject to appeal to the High Court of Solomon Islands, with either party having 30 days from the date of publication to appeal strictly on points of law.
