National Secretary for Fiji Trades Union Congress, Felix Anthony says workers’ issues can only be addressed if there is a government that is going to be sincere and seriously considers the plight of workers, respects international laws and workers’ rights, and acts on them.
While speaking at the FTUC Rally held at the Fijian Teachers Association Hall, Anthony says there are issues that workers have been talking about for quite sometime, and it is unfortunate that the Fijian government has not looked into them.
Anthony says democracy is not only about elections but it is also about respect for rights.
He says they do not have freedom of speech these days because when they speak up in this country, they get charged, intimidated and threatened.
Anthony adds that there are workers who would love to be part of the trade union but are too scared to lose their jobs and it would take up to 2 to 5 years to get any form of justice if they lose their jobs.
He says with a government that is so numb to the feelings of the workers, they don’t even care nor have a view on the terminations of most of these workers and they sit quietly pretending as if nothing happened.
Anthony says the ILO has recognized the Vatukoula Gold Mine employees’ strike as the longest strike in the world however the government has not done anything about it.
Anthony says the minimum wage that they were pushing for 8 years ago will come into effect on the 1st of January 2023.
He also says that he believes if the current government comes into power again, he has doubts that the $4 minimum wage will come into effect because they have already demonstrated on what they did with the 5 days family care leave for workers which the government gave and then later took away.
