• November 29, 2024

 

 

November 29, 2024                

The FTUC dismisses comments by the CEO of the Fiji Hotel and Tourism Association, Fantasha Lockington in the FT 28/11. Here we have Ms. Lockington attending consultations parading as a representative of employers in the country, participating fully in the discussions and then going out and complaining about the consultation process. She forgets conveniently that these consultations have been ongoing for 11 years and more intensively over the past two years. She or her colleagues have never raised any issues that she now raises as an afterthought only because Mr. Jon Apted raised similar issues at the TOPEX Conference.

Fiji Hotel and Tourism Association did not raise any issues when the Ministry called for submissions from the Tripartite Partners. In all three drafts of the Bill, the FTUC made written submissions while the FCEF and FHTA made none.  All issues raised by Ms Lockington are covered by the draft Bill. There is no restriction on seasonal workers, temporary workers, work from home, casual workers, transport workers, BPO sectors or any other industry. This is simply a mischievous claim to fuel fear and doubt amongst people. What is in the review is that workers’ rights must be respected as Government has committed to do, that the exploitation of workers cease, that unscrupulous employers stop stealing from workers by not paying statutory entitlements such as overtime payments, minimum wage, meal allowances, making illegal deductions from pay, double bookkeeping for fraudulent and incorrect wage records. Also included in the review is that workers are given the right to join a union of their choice and to collective bargaining and unfair or unjust dismissal from work. These are the very fundamentals of good industrial relations and industrial harmony that will fuel investments and lift the economy. Her claims on sectoral issues are unfounded. Sectoral considerations are dealt with by the Industry Wages Councils and not the Employment Relations Act. More recently, FCEF refused to participate in the meetings of these Wages Councils, refusing to accept wage adjustments as announced in the National Budget 2024-2025 and threatening legal action. Sectoral considerations specific to industries cannot be in the principal Act. That was well understood in the consultations that have been held. Ms. Lockington is trying to muddy the waters and attempt to suggest that these have been omissions in the review. Certainly not.

The article talks about exclusion of certain groups of people who need to be consulted. I believe it is time for FCEF to decide whether it is representative of all employers or just the few that attend meetings.  Should it decide that it is not, then it should stop parading as the premier organisation of employers in the country that ought to be recognised by the Government. It is the responsibility of FCEF to go to their constituents and consult on various issues and if FCEF has failed to do that, it cannot blame Government or FTUC for the supposed lack of consultation. FCEF must take responsibility for its inactions. On part of FTUC, we regularly consult our affiliates which is why we were able to make submissions on the changes we considered necessary, and we keep in touch with what actually happens on the ground with workers, union or no union. We have spoken out about non-union workers and their unfortunate plight in the course of consultations. FCEF acknowledged that.

Consultations have been ongoing for the past 11 years, nine of which were under the previous regime. We do not understand how much consultation will be sufficient from employers’ perspective. The fact is that FCEF does not wish to see changes to the Act and is being disruptive hoping to gain some support from the political actors.

It is also notable that over the period 2007 to 2022, FCEF did not talk about or was interested in “meaningful collaboration and governance, rooted in integrity and proper legal process”, to quote Ms. Lockington. FCEF did not raise issues about the ERA being the unity maker during this period when the previous Government unilaterally and to the delight of employers imposed the Essential Industries Decree, imposed the Crimes Decree that violated workers’ rights, the Public Order Amendment Decree and the Political Parties Decree, which were used by the police and military to detain and harass unions and workers. These decrees remain in force even today. The denial of the Right to Strike, the imposition of $2.68 as the national minimum wage, the violations of the Constitution and denial of the Freedom of Speech, the Freedom of Assembly, the right to exercise the rights of a trade union and collective bargaining, the imposition of individual fixed term contracts, the incarceration and violence against trade unionists. We do not believe that FCEF has the moral right to talk about governance, integrity and unity. The unions have been battered and some even totally disappeared during this period. Workers were intimidated and were unable to raise issues while the employers considered that to be the golden period for businesses. Employers had a field day doing whatever they wished, all in the name of economic growth which never came to fruition.

It is time for a change and for workers to gain that dignity which was stolen for many years. We believe in economic growth and job creation. But these jobs need to be decent jobs and not just any job that reeks of exploitation and reduces workers to slaves. Remember, even slaves had jobs. That is not the type of job we stand for.

Felix Anthony,

National Secretary, FTUC