Catanasiga and Kotobalavu on fijivillage Straight Talk with Vijay Narayan

Fiji Council of Social Services Executive Director Vani Catanasiga and Fiji Public Service Association General Secretary, Judith Kotobalavu have shared their strong sentiments whilst discussing the changes in salaries and benefits approved by parliament for the Members Of Parliament, the President, and the Speaker, saying that the decision to increase the pay should be reversed.

Catanasiga said on fijivillage Straight Talk With Vijay Narayan that this Government needs to stop sending mixed messages to the public which is coming from the Prime Minister's Office.

She stresses the need to follow the right processes when making decisions like salary increases as there were no public consultations done which is morally wrong.

Catanasiga says Fiji is struggling to pay the huge debt, and this Government has decided to make a huge increase in their pay.

FCOSS and FPSA have also started an online petition against the salary increases of the MPs and they are demanding for the government to rescind the earlier motion passed to increase the salaries, refer the matter to an independent committee not made up of MPs, have public consultations, amend the Parliamentary Remunerations Act to also include the public to have a say on the performance of the MPs, increase civil servants’ salaries that has not been done since 2017 and to increase the national minimum wage rate.

The online petition link is here: https://www.change.org/p/mps-pay-hike-give-it-a-rest-civil-servants-and-gwe-s-pay-give-it-a-raise

FPSA General Secretary, Judith Kotobalavu says the increase of the Members of Parliament benefits has been gazetted without public consultation.

She says they need to set up an independent committee.

Kotobalavu says the workers in Fiji are deprived of their basic needs like a pay increase and this has lowered the morale of the civil servants which has greatly affected the service delivery to the public.

When questioned if the Coalition Government is doing well, Catanasiga says they have created huge trust issues with the people in terms of decision-making, but there are certain areas they have improved in from creating that safe space where citizens are sharing their opinions in open spaces freely.

Catanasiga says the Government has also created great reforms in public management to name a few for example extending the retirement age to 60 which is great for the country.

FCOSS and FPSA have a people’s rally at the Suva Civic Centre Carpark from 9am this Saturday and another rally at Suva Thurston Garden at 9am next Saturday.