Minister for Education Aseri Radrodro is calling for an urgent special meeting with the University of the South Pacific and Staff Associations to discuss and settle the issues pertaining to the welfare and other issues raised by former Association of USP Staff Presidents, Doctor Tamara Osborne Naikatini and Elizabeth Fong.
Radrodro made the comments in Parliament when questioned about the government's stand on the planned strike action by the university staff members.
He says they are committed to the concerns of the Fijian Staff at USP because being a regional University with 12 member countries, the council is the executive governing body of the University which has all the powers to exercise it.
Radrodro says 75 percent of their staff are Fijians and they need to solve this issue as soon as possible.
Furthermore, he says he has briefed the Prime Minister on the issues raised by the University staff and will await confirmation from the Ministry of Employment regarding the planned strike action.
He says they respect other unions who are representatives of the different countries in the council and they will have a meeting shortly to settle these ongoing issues.
Former President of the Association of University of the South Pacific Staff, Doctor Tamara Osborne Naikatini confirms members of the Association and the USP Staff Union have unanimously voted to go for a strike ballot as they want Doctor Naikatini to be reinstated and USP Vice Chancellor, Professor Pal Ahluwalia to be removed from office.
While speaking on fijivillage Straight Talk With Vijay Narayan, Doctor Naikatini also confirmed that she has filed a grievance about her unfair dismissal from the USP as she believes that she has not breached the University’s ordinances when raising concerns about the renewal of Professor Ahluwalia’s contract.
