The government does not go around trying to restrict the number of PSV drivers in the country.
Minister of Employment, Jone Usamate has made this statement after SODELPA MP, Aseri Radrodro’s claim that the government is directly contributing to the high unemployment figures in Fiji.
Radrodro says the government supports the recruitment of cheap overseas labour with the excuse of filling jobs that cannot be taken up by the local workforce, for example bus drivers.
Usamate says this is wrong.
Usamate says no government in the world will try to penalise its citizens and there is a process involved in bringing foreigners into the country to work.
Radrodro says Fiji is a small developing nation of less than a million people and the lack of PSV drivers was not due to a shortage of manpower but rather the poor working conditions offered by bus companies which the government and the transport sector are not addressing.
He says if the salaries of PSV drivers were competitive to compensate for the long hours and tiring jobs they do, there would be a big supply of PSV drivers.
Radrodro says this is the reason SODELPA has been calling to increase the minimum wage rate to $4 an hour.
Usamate says the government tries to create situations where jobs can be created.
He says to have economic growth the government has put in conditions where investors can come in and create jobs and from that people are able to get employment.
CEO of the Fiji Commerce and Employers Federation Nesbitt Hazelman had earlier said there is a lack of PSV drivers in the country and some companies have employed Filipinos to drive buses in Fiji.
Still on bus drivers,
The Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport and the Land Transport Authority have already announced amendments to the Land Transport (Driver) Regulations 2000 to streamline the eligibility process for drivers seeking to apply for a bus driver’s licence.
Previously, to acquire a bus driver’s license which was a Class 5 license, drivers had to hold a taxi, carrier or mini‑bus, or large vehicle license for over a year before they were eligible to apply for a bus driver’s license. The amendments to the regulation remove this eligibility requirement, as the requirement was determined to be unduly prescriptive and irrelevant in screening for successful applicants.
The age of eligibility has also been brought down to 18 years from 21 years.
LTA General Manager Legal, Policy and Business Development, Navilesh Chand, has also emphasized that all applicants would still undergo the same rigorous testing system currently in place to acquire a bus driver’s license.
He explained that the amended regulation was designed to simplify overly complex and unnecessary eligibility criteria.
Chand says this amended regulation will not affect public safety, as all potential bus drivers will be required to display the same level of knowledge and skills to pass the demanding Class 5 License test.
He says what they have done is allow Government to cast a wider net to attract more qualified drivers, allowing more Fijians who have the proper skill set to pursue a career as a bus driver.
Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Praveen Bala has also encouraged bus operators to raise the salaries of their drivers in recognition of the demands of the market and to attract more Fijians into the profession.
