SODELPA MP Viliame Gavoka says the impasse between Fiji Airports Limited and the Air Traffic Controllers has gone too far, and too long.
He says this industrial dispute must be resolved with urgency by the Government which is the majority shareholder in Fiji Airports Limited.
Gavoka says the reduced number of controllers that are currently manning air traffic control operations for the Nadi Flight Information Region around the clock is unacceptable due to the high risks associated with such vital and critical service for Fiji.
Gavoka said that there will be reservation among passengers and those who intend to travel about their safety and the Government must consider the impact of the impasse on our tourism sector which is a major foreign earner for the nation.
He says this is an extremely delicate task demanding a high degree of concentration.
When approached on what the government was doing to resolve the impasse, Minister for Employment Parveen Bala referred us to a statement he made on the issue last week.
Minister for Employment Parveen Bala
Bala has stated that from the 18th to the 20th of this month, a total of 33 Air Traffic controllers have taken various forms of leave while demanding increases to their pay from Fiji Airports Limited.
He says the worker’s coordinated and continued refusal to attend work, along with the demands put forward by the workers, are clear indications that a strike is underway.
Bala says under the Act, this conduct amounts to an unlawful strike given no notice of secret ballot was provided to the Registrar of Trade Unions for a strike mandate.
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