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TCCI PRESS RELEASE: - 09 July 2020

The Tonga Chamber of Commerce and Industry (TCCI) wishes to make a statement on the pending reopening of our borders to Fiji this week.

While the intention is good, we are concerned that the systems in place may not be sufficient to ensure the full protection of our peoples and businesses. We believe that the process and policing of isolation must have multi-faceted levels to safeguard against the bending of the rules.

The recent incident in NZ where two women were prematurely released from isolation worries us because this could happen to us if we are not careful. If it happens in Tonga, the impact will be horrendous.

It is therefore TCCI’s position that Government gives this issue serious consideration and to be sure the progress we have made thus far will not be destroyed by a single mistake.

END

The Full Council, elected every year by TCCI-members, is formed of a President, a Vice-President, a Secretary, a Treasurer, an Assistant Secretary, an Assistant Treasurer, four Councillors, four Affiliate Members, Legal Advisor and an Auditor.

The Council is currently comprised of:

1) President.................................Paula Taumoepeau

2) Vice President.........................Samiuela Vea

3) Secretary.................................Maliu Mafi

4) Treasurer.................................Aloma Johansson

5) Assistant Secretary.................Sinai Tu'itahi

6) Assistant Treasurer................Liz Cowley

7) Councillor................................Filimone Tu’ikolovatu

8) Councillor................................Dharmesh Lal

9) Councillor................................Maliana Tohi

10) Councillor................................John Paul Chapman

11) Affiliate Member.....................Tonga Chinese Business Council

12) Affiliate Member.....................

13) Affiliate Member.....................

14) Affiliate Member.....................

Expression of Interest (EoI)

National consultant to manage and coordinate the national Tripartite-ILO Rapid Assessment (RA) on the impact of COVID19 on employment and business in Tonga

Introduction

According to the ILO nowcasting[1] model, global working hours declined in the first quarter of 2020 by equivalent to approximately 130 million full-time jobs. Global working hours in the second quarter are expected to be 10.5 per cent, equivalent to 305 million full-time jobs, which represents a significant deterioration. Taking together employers and own-account workers, around 436 million enterprises in the hardest-hit sectors worldwide are currently facing high risks of serious disruption. Own-account workers and small enterprises together account for more than 70 per cent of global employment in retail trade and nearly 60 per cent in the accommodation and food services sector, a reflection of the severe vulnerability of these sectors in the present economic crisis. Among the most vulnerable in the labour market, almost 1.6 billion informal economy workers are significantly impacted by lockdown measures and/or working in the hardest-hit sectors.

According to the ILO Monitor:COVID19 and World of Work 4th edition[2], youth are being disproportionately affected by the pandemic, and the substantial and rapid increase in youth unemployment seen since February is affecting young women more than young men.
The pandemic is inflicting a triple shock on young people. Not only is it destroying their employment, but it is also disrupting education and training, and placing major obstacles in the way of those seeking to enter the labour market or to move between jobs.

In the Pacific, the slowdown in international trade and none existence of its heavily reliant tourism and related sectors has started to see business closing and workers (formal and informal) made redundant. As countries release stimulus packages to support business and jobs, it is critical to understand the specific impact of COVID19 on employment and business in order to inform government and donor investments and formulation and implementation of evidenced based COVID19 recovery policy measures to mitigate the impacts and reduce deepening inequalities.

Rapid Assessment (RA) on the impact of COVID19 on employment and business

The ILO Office for Pacific Island Countries is supporting national tripartite committees to undertake a national RA on the impact of COVID19 on employment and business, in Tonga. Similar RA’s are currently in progress in Fiji and Samoa. It is envisaged that the results of the survey will (a) support evidenced based COVID19 recovery policy recommendations of the tripartite and complement the employment chapter of the UN Social & Economic Impact Assessment.
It is also important to recognise that the assessment is an “in-crisis assessment” and therefore the idea is to update it regularly as much as practical to ensure up-to-date information is provided to the tripartite. A draft ToR for the Tripartite-ILO RA has been developed including the survey questionnaire for contextualisation to national context. Based on the Fiji and Samoa experience, a Guidance Note has been developed to assist the tripartite and national consultant. The Guidance Note provides the objectives, principles and step by step guide for the RA.

Scope of work and outputs

The national consultant will be required to work closely with the national tripartite committee, through the leadership of the chair of the tripartite committee. In addition, the national consultant will work under the guidance of the regional consultant/advisor and ILO Country Programme/Project Officer.

The outputs of the consultant will be to:

Support the chair of the tripartite to convene the initial and follow up meetings of the tripartite
1. Convene the national tripartite committee meeting to seek endorsement for the RA, understanding of the objective and process of the RA.
2. Follow up meetings, either tripartite or individual constituents to implement and review the progress of the RA.
3. Convene the final meeting of the national tripartite committee to present and validate the final RA report.
Technical national level oversight of the RA, with the support of the chair of the national tripartite committee
1. Finalise the ToR and the work plan that will guide the RA.
2. Finalise the survey questionnaire and sample size (formal and informal) for the RA.
3. Launch the national tripartite-ILO assessment.
4. Assist with conducting the RA and monitor and report twice a week on the progress of the national tripartite-ILO assessment.
5. Capture best practices and lessons learned.
Promotion and documentation of the national tripartite-ILO assessment through mainstream and social media.
1. Work with the media team at ILO to develop press releases, capture stories of RA planning, implementation, meetings etc.
2. Where necessary, invite media to cover activities of the tripartite engaged in the RA.
3. Maintain a repository of audio-visuals for documentation.
Deliver final draft of the RA to the ILO through the regional consultant/advisor and ILO Country Programme/Project Officer.
1. Support the tripartite partners to analyse the findings of the survey.
2. Convene a focus group meeting of key government, employers and workers organisations reps to present the preliminary findings of the survey and seek recovery recommendations.
3. Draft final RA report under the guidance of the regional consultant/advisor and ILO Country Programme/Project Officer.

Qualifications and competencies

The national consultant must at least have:

A first degree in economics, statistics, development or equivalent.
Proven experience in undertaking national surveys and statistical experience.
Proven experience in writing survey reports including undertaking analysis.
Good management and coordination skills including the ability to manage expectations of the tripartite in delivering the objectives of the RA.
Ability to work independently and interdependently with the national tripartite and virtually with the ILO team in Suva.

Total investment
The total ILO investment for this consultancy will be U$3,000.00. The consultant will be paid U$150.00 per day for a total of 20 days from 16 July to 12 August 2020

Deadline and Responsible ILO Officials
Please submit a two page expression of interest, based on the qualifications and competencies highlighted above, by COB on 15th July 2020 to:

Ms Surkafa Katafono
Programme Officer (Tonga)
surkafa@ilo.org

[1] https://www.ilo.org/global/topics/coronavirus/impacts-and-responses/WCMS_743146/lang--en/index.htm

[2] https://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/newsroom/news/WCMS_745879/lang--en/index.htm

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MEDIA RELEASE – 02 July 2020

COVID-19 will likely create long lasting economic damage and change the way enterprises do business in Tonga.
Recognizing the important role that businesses play in creating jobs, economic growth, development and prosperity, the Tonga Chamber of Commerce and Industry (TCCI) collaborated with the International Labour Organization (ILO) in conducting a needs assessment survey to identify key challenges faced by businesses in Tonga resulting from COVID-19.
This survey was completed by 216 businesses across Tongatapu, Vava’u, Ha’apai & ‘Eua who operated in over 17 different sectors, including hotel and tourism (28%), food and beverage/restaurants (21%), and retail and sales (12%). Enterprises surveyed employed between one and 250 workers in their business, with most enterprises employing between 1 – 10 workers (74%).
Some of the key findings and issues raised by enterprises in the survey:

Of total enterprises surveyed, 15% (32) have stopped operating due to COVID-19, 35% (76) are partially operating, 1% are operating remotely and 49% (106) are fully operating on site.
61% of enterprises have dismissed or planned to dismiss more than 41% of their workforce.
34% of enterprises stated that "cash flow” was inadequate, plus 40% reported that customers and/or clients have been affected and demand was lower than normal - clearly identifying cash flow as a key issue.
57% of enterprises did not have their own funding or access to alternative sources of funding to maintain operations and staffing levels. Among enterprises that reported having their own funding, 85% said this funding was not a sufficient amount.
Lastly 51% of business owners estimated that it would take between 91 and 181+ days to fully restore operations, and 16% of business owners were considering closing either temporarily or permanently.

The Chamber presented its survey to the Legislative Assembly, Standing Committee for Social Services on 18th June 2020. TCCI would like to acknowledge & thank the Chair and members of the Standing Committee for the opportunity to present and discuss the TCCI survey findings on the impact of COVID-19, and committing to further dialogue with the Chamber to gather private sector proposals and views on COVID-19 policy measures.
Tonga Chamber expects the negative impacts on enterprises from COVID-19 will worsen further when/after COVID arrives in Tonga.
Chamber recognizes it must work more effectively and well with government and its other key partners, in order to assist enterprises throughout Tonga overcome COVID-19 negative impacts now and in the future.
END

MEDIA RELEASE - 19 MARCH 2020

Tonga Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. (TCCI), the recognized National Private Sector Organization in Tonga would like to reassure the business community that we are working with the Government on measures to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 so that businesses & organizations can deliver level of services as close to normal as possible, and to ensure that our communities continue to access essential services.
We are also taking guidance from the Ministry of Health on their rrecommended key preventative measures to protect the health of our staff and customers, and we urge all businesses to do the same.
Some members of the Executive Committee of TCCI met with the Minister of Trade and Economic Development (MTED), the Honourable Minister Samiu Vaipulu yesterday and discussed possible measures government could consider to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19 on businesses and the community.
Some of the issues discussed included the following:

Ensuring basic utilities / services / infrastructure continue to operate
Requesting banks and lending Institutions be flexible with businesses & employees affected by COVID-19
Offering temporary tax and/or duty relief to businesses, organisations & the community impacted by COVID-19

The Honourable Minister was very receptive with the proposal by the Tonga Chamber of Commerce on behalf of the private sector and assured Chamber the private sector views will be discussed at the earliest opportunity with Cabinet.

END

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Expression of Interest (EoI)

National consultant to manage and coordinate the national Tripartite-ILO Rapid Assessment (RA) on the impact of COVID19 on employment and business in Tonga

LATEST NEWS!

Become a member of the
Tonga Chamber of Commerce & Industry
Start advancing your Business with reduced costs