The NGO Coalition on Human Rights says they strongly condemn the harassment and arrests of trade unionists yesterday and stands in solidarity with the workers of Fiji.
Chair Nalini Singh says workers and unionists should not be victimized or penalised for freely expressing their Freedom of Association and voicing their employment issues.
Singh says it is shocking and disgraceful that instead of celebrating International Workers’ Rights Day, also known as International Labour Day on May 1, it was marked with the detainment of workers and unionists.
She says in the past few days, union representatives were taken into custody and detained by police including workers from the Water Authority of Fiji adding workers from WAF raised issues and questions regarding their contracts and termination of employment but this culminated with the involvement of riot police and a series of arrests.
Singh says this also occurred in light of a planned peaceful demonstration by the Fiji Trades Union Congress tomorrow to highlight workers’ issues including the national minimum wage, labour law reforms, the Right to Strike, Federated Airlines Staff Association issues and opposing the unilateral imposition of individual contracts.
She adds this is a blatant attack on workers’ rights and curtails the progress Fiji has made in human rights and democracy adding the Right to Freedom of Association and Assembly is the cornerstone of a vibrant democracy and is enshrined in our Constitution.
Singh says they call for the protection of workers’ rights and the release of workers and unionists who have been detained by police.
She is urging authorities to protect workers’ rights and encourage peaceful negotiations with the workers to hear their issues and come to a solution that benefits everyone.
Meanwhile, Police Commissioner, Sitiveni Qiliho says he would like to remind everyone that no strike has been approved and any such action is illegal.
Qiliho also expressed his disappointment at representatives and supporters who used what appeared to be an old interim court order from last year to gain entry to the Wailoku Depot.
He says officers went in and explained to the people gathered inside that they had been deceived and they subsequently agreed to move peacefully outside and commended them all for their cooperation.
Qiliho adds that while majority did cooperate, more than twenty people were arrested in Lautoka for allegedly illegally gathering and refusing to disperse when advised to by police.
The Police Commissioner has also expressed his concerns that the union and workers had been misled by news from a fake Facebook page, which led to this impasse.
He says any individual holding a position of leadership needs to be responsible and cautious about the information they choose to disseminate to the media.
The Water Authority of Fiji has urged the unions to stop abusing the word ‘terminated’ as they do not clarify that terms of employment have come to an end.
It says termination on its own can be misinterpreted as it can also refer to someone being fired as this is not the case here.
Water Authority of Fiji General Manager Legal Talei Ligairi says contrary to the Union’s claim, on April 1 workers were given a reminder that their contracts were coming to an end on April 30.
ADVERTISEMENT
