Union leaders arrested by Fijian authorities

The New Zealand Council of Trade Unions is calling on the Fijian Government to urgently release the Trade Union officials currently being detained.

"We have heard that union officials being detained include the Secretary General of the Fijian Trade Union Congress (FTUC) Felix Anthony and general secretaries of the Fijian Teachers Association, the Fiji nurses’ union and an official from the National Union of Workers," CTU President, Richard Wagstaff said.

"This behaviour is simply appalling. We call on the New Zealand Government to take action and call on the Fijian government to immediately release the union leaders they are detaining."

"It appears that these union leaders have been detained in response to a call for a nationwide day of action on Friday and a march planned for Saturday. This is an appalling response from the government to Fijians exercising their democratic right; to organise and to protest."

"This is an attack on the rights of working people in Fiji and is both outrageous and shocking. We stand in solidarity with Fijian working people and their trade unions."

"We will be protesting outside the Fijian Embassy, 31 Pipitea Street, Wellington, from 5.15pm on Thursday 2 May to send a clear message to High Commissioner Filimone Waqabaca that the rights of working people to organise is a core tenant of democracy," Wagstaff said.

ENDS

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