As the strike by about 40 workers of Ram Sami & Sons (Fiji) Ltd enters its second day, the National Union of Workers is accusing the company of undermining the workers’ legal right to strike by recruiting replacement workers and is calling for the company’s foreign worker permits to be rescinded.
Union General Secretary Felix Anthony says they submitted its draft Collective Agreement more than 2 and a half years ago and numerous meetings have taken place and it has been clear to the Union that the employer simply strategized to delay the process as long as it possibly can.
He says yesterday the employer with their legal advisor attended a meeting with the Union which lasted 4 minutes.
Anthony claims Ram Sami's legal advisor simply advised the Union that they were in no position to agree to anything other than a “basic” agreement it had signed with some other Union.
He further advised that if the Union was not happy with that, then they were free to take strike action and the Union accepted the invitation to strike.
Anthony claims Ram Sami & Son's legal advisor wrote to the Ministry of Employment today to advise that they were going to recruit workers to ensure that work continued.
He says this is the same employer that managed to convince the Immigration Department that they could not find workers in Fiji and therefore obtained permits to get foreign workers.
The Union General Secretary says there are about 10 or more foreign workers employed by Ram Sami & Sons and they now question as to their honesty claiming not to be able to find local workers but have absolutely no problem in recruiting them when workers exercise their legal right to strike.
They now call on the Immigration Department to rescind the permits granted to Ram Sami & Sons and ensure locals who are now recruited be given work.
Anthony says the decision to use “scab labour” is a demonstration of bad faith and total denial of workers legitimate right to take strike action.
He says the intent is clear and that is to break the solidarity of workers and deny workers their rights.
Anthony stresses this is a clear example of a bad Employer who does not respect fundamental workers’ rights and it is the very reason why we need strong labour laws that protect workers.
He says Ram Sami and Sons' is well known for mistreating its workers, transporting them at the back of a truck used for chicken and expect workers to work in atrocious conditions.
He stresses that this exploitation must stop.
The Ministry of Labour has called for mediation talks on Tuesday and the Union says they will attend in the hope that Ram Sami & Son's will sincerely engage with the intent to resolve the impasse.
Questions have been sent to the Ministry of Employment, Ministry of Immigration and Ram Sami & Sons.
Questions have been sent to the Ministry of Employment, Ministry of Immigration and Ram Sami & Sons.
