‘No Jab, No Job’ policy removal on agenda: A-G

The removal of the ‘No Jab, No Job’ policy is on Government’s agenda. Attorney-General (A-G) and Minister for Justice Siromi Turaga made this assurance yesterday.

The removal of the ‘No Jab, No Job’ policy was one of the highlights of the campaign by The People’s Alliance party leading up to the 2022 General Election.

In July, 2021, former Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama had announced the policy whereby civil servants would be dismissed from their work if they refused to take the COVID-19 vaccine.

Mr Turaga yesterday said any changes in this law would be subject to a Cabinet decision.

“This is probably in the next Cabinet decision or the subsequent one. It has to be moved by the Ministry of Labour in consultation with the Ministry of Health,” he said.

“That is on the agenda, you can be rest assured.”

Advertising of the Chief Registrar and Solicitor-General Positions

Mr Turaga said there was no substantive holder of the Chief Registrar and Solicitor-General posts, thus their positions had been advertised.

“As the Minister for Justice and A-G, my priority is to make sure that those two positions are filled,” he said.

“In due course the Judicial Services

Commission will meet and consider the applications and then thereafter they make recommendations to me.”

Mr Turaga calls on Government and the Opposition to work together in taking the country forward. He made the statement after the Constitution Offices Commission (COC) meeting in Suva yesterday. “We want to move this nation forward, which means we will have to be co-operative. There are three different parties as a coalition and if we can all work together, why can’t we work with FijiFirst. There is no mention of us and them, it’s us,” Mr Turaga said.

The COC convened to discuss the appointments of the board members of the Public Service Commission (PSC).

“We need the PSC to sit, so that they can make the key decisions, starting off with the Permanent Secretaries.”