FijiFirst ‘numb to workers’ feelings’

THE FijiFirst Government is numb to the feelings of workers and endorses terminations through their silence and by their appointments to boards , says Fiji Trades Union Congress national secretary Felix Anthony.

He made the claims while speaking at a rally at the FTA hall on Thursday.

“They (government) don’t even care, they don’t even have a view on the terminations of the workers,” he claimed.

“Not only that, but with their silence, they actually endorse the termination with their appointments to the boards of these organisations.

“They directly actually endorse these terminations, and they sit quiet pretending as if nothing happened.

“Now, that is unacceptable.”

Mr Anthony said as trade union leaders, one of their priorities and something they held dear to their heart was job security for their members.

“This is the most important thing.

“Families must be able to plan their lives, families must know that they will have a job in two years time or three years time, that they won’t be given a one month’s notice and be told to go, that they won’t have to keep their mouth shut, even if they see something’s going wrong because of the fear of being terminated.

“That’s not dignity at work and that is what we see in the workplace today and this has to stop.

“You cannot intimidate workers, keeping them quiet and hoping that they will not speak up for their rights.

“But that’s why we have trade unions and that’s our duty as leaders in the trade unions to speak up, to raise these issues and to try and get them resolved.

“But as I’ve said, it’s almost impossible in the current climate that we have.”