Something to THINK ABOUT …

The Paladin saga continues as news filters through from PNG that some of its Manus Island staff have gone on strike over "low pay and poor working conditions".

This is hardly surprising considering the amount Paladin reportedly pays its 500 guards is embarrassingly low, even by PNG standards: about $450 a month … $2 an hour! And recent reports from the island point to poor working conditions - including deficient food and water - 12-hour shifts and no risk allowances.

The local resentment has risen after revelations of Paladin’s fruitless early attempts to hire Fijians as guards with offers of $A3000 a month.

And all this from contracts worth about $423 million over less than two years, equal to $1600 a day per person on Manus.

The Guardian reports that Paladin's staff at Pomwan Paladin Security have petitioned management and held sit-ins citing overtime, risk allowances, and cuts as key concerns.

And as a result, Paladin's hospital, cleaning and transport staff have walked off the job, concerned about safety issues. Not surprisingly, detainees have expressed similar concerns about their own safety.

There is much more to come ... mounting evidence indicates this is a scandal of epic proportions