Fiji Commerce and Employers Federation CEO Edward Bernard is calling on the government to prioritise addressing the current gaps in Fiji’s wage-setting system, saying there should be no increase in the minimum wage or introduction of a living wage until those issues are resolved.
Bernard says the Fiji Trades Union Congress' call to introduce a living wage system must be carefully balanced against existing wage mechanisms and economic realities.
He says Fiji currently has several systems for determining wages, including the minimum wage, sectoral wages, collective bargaining and performance management systems.
Bernard says collective bargaining already provides a mechanism to address cost-of-living adjustments and inflation.
The CEO adds that a recent workshop organised by the International Labour Organization identified several gaps in Fiji’s minimum wage-setting process.
He says these include the absence of clear wage-setting criteria and a lack of genuine and transparent consultations.
Bernard adds that the identification of these gaps could potentially mean Fiji is in breach of ILO Convention 131 on Minimum Wage Fixing.
Bernard says the workshop revealed that Fiji’s median wage was US$477 per month, higher than that of 13 countries in the Asia region.
He adds that Fiji’s gender pay gap is also relatively lower than that of many countries in Asia and some in South America.
The CEO is urging the government to ensure the 2026/2027 National Budget focuses on creating conditions that encourage investment, support business growth, generate employment and improve productivity.
The 2026/2027 National Budget will be delivered at 10am Friday.
