Union protests workers’ rights with march in Suva
Less than 500 people joined the Fiji Trades Union Congress-led march through Suva City yesterday protesting workers’ rights from the Suva Flea Market to Ratu Sukuna Park. The participants, accompanied by a Police escort, raised placards and shouted slogans demanding higher wages and the removal of worker contracts. Union general secretary Felix Anthony said the protest was held to ensure that Government kept its promises with regards to workers’ rights, which he claimed had been violated.
“We at the FTUC signed an agreement, with the Employer’s Federation, that workers’ rights in this country would be respected,” Mr Anthony said.
“(We signed) that the core labour standards of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) would be respected.
“We want Government to respect what they’ve signed with us and (keep) the word that they’ve given to the ILO that they will respect collective bargaining.” Government announced, as part of its ongoing civil service reform, that civil servants will be required to sign new contracts to receive a 15 per cent pay rise.
Mr Anthony claimed the imposition of the individual contracts in July this year were part of a Government plot to “kill” the unions, which, he said, they had tried to do in the past.
“They want to kill or weaken your unions,” he told those present.
One of the main demands of the union is that the national minimum wage be increased to $4 from the current $2.68.