CTU Supports Tourism Awareness Campaign on Fiji
The Council of Trade Unions is supporting a campaign to raise awareness among potential tourists of the reality of life
in Fiji.
Peter Conway, Secretary of the CTU says “Fiji is a military dictatorship and is far from the paradise portrayed in the
tourism brochures”.
"The South Pacific nation might have beautiful clear water, sandy beaches and smiling faces, but behind that lies an
uglier side to the country."
"Sixty per cent of people earning a wage are living below the poverty line and workers have been stripped of their human
rights."
The new campaign is jointly co-ordinated by the ACTU, the International Trade Union Confederation, the NZCTU and Equal
Times. The campaign website iswww.destinationfiji.org
for further information.
Peter Conway said the aim of the campaign is to inform tourists so that when they decide on a holiday destination they
take into account the facts about the military dictatorship and the unfair processes under way in advance of the
election next year. And if people do decide to holiday in Fiji we hope they talk to local people about the real story of
what is going on.
Peter Conway said that the campaign also calls on Foreign Affairs Ministers in Australia and New Zealand to demand that
Fiji brings its practices into line with international human rights standards, repeals draconian measures that have
stripped workers of their fundamental rights, allows the United Nations in to monitor the situation, and commits to
genuine transparent and democratic processes in the lead up to the 2014 election.
ENDS