FTUC applies for another March permit for 7th April in Suva

The Fiji Trades Union Congress will apply for a permit to have another march and rally for the 7^th of April in Suva.

This was confirmed by FTUC National Secretary Felix Anthony this afternoon after the FTUC permit application to have a march and rally in Suva today was rejected on Friday.

Anthony has questioned the police as to why they waited for the eve of the march to make this announcement.

He confirms that the FTUC Management Board has decided that they will submit another permit application to march through Suva and he says this will be bigger than the one in Nadi last December.

Anthony says that Public Sector Unions will be meeting in the coming days and there will be separate rallies held across the country for Sector Unions particularly with regards to the individual contracts of civil servants.

The Amended Employment Relations Act 2015 states that Union needs to enter into any negotiation process prior to proposing a secret ballot for strike.

Meanwhile Attorney General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum had earlier highlighted that the government has been calling on the Trade Unions to attend various consultations and meetings to talk about the Civil Service Reforms and their response is that they were too busy with meetings. 

Sayed Khaiyum also highlighted that prior to the civil service reforms 70% of civil servants were already on contracts and that nobody who is currently on permanent tenure has to go on term contracts and they will not lose their job as it is their choice.

When asked by Fijivillage on the plans of a National Strike that he had earlier spoken about, Anthony says that he had spoken about it during the ATS dispute at that time.

Fijivillage also asked Anthony why he attended the People’s Democratic Party management board meeting when he is not a party member as the Political Parties Act does not allow unionists to be party officials and members.

Anthony says he does not have any role in PDP.

The Fijian Elections Office has submitted this issue about Anthony attending the PDP management meeting to FICAC after Lynda Tabuya revealed it during a press conference.