Singh: No more unfair treatment

MINISTER for Employment, Productivity and Industrial Relations Agni Deo Singh has given assurance to members of the Fiji Trades Union Congress (FTUC) that there will be no more unfair treatment while he is in the ministry.

He highlighted this during the FTUC National Council Meeting in Suva yesterday.

“We will make sure that all your rights are in place,” he said.

“That your freedom of association, expression, and the right to join a union organisation of your choice, all those rights that we know are enshrined in the Constitution and the instruments that we have signed with the International Labour Organization (ILO) will be in place.

“That’s what I can assure you and I am pleading with you to work with us in good faith and whenever there is a dispute come along, we will try to resolve it in a proper manner.”

FTUC general secretary Felix Anthony said members certainly hoped what the minister assured was possible.

“Right now, that’s a challenge that we have, and a lot will depend on the Labour Law Review,” he said.

“The new Employment Relations Act that we are talking about with employers and Government

will of course depend a lot on the enforcement ability of the Ministry of Labour.

“And of course, that will depend on a lot of the restoration of workers’ rights — the right to belong to a union, the rights to collective bargaining and of course an efficient court system where workers can address their issues.

“So, there’s quite a few factors there but like I said it’s a challenge and we must work towards that.”