Fiji: all-out assault on trade unionism by the military government
Brussels, 5 August 2011 (ITUC OnLine): The military government of Fiji has engaged in an all-out assault on trade
unionism this year, by force and by decree, and it is getting worse by the day. Just this week, union officials were
detained, questioned and charged with "unlawful assembly" by police simply for meeting with union members to prepare for
collective bargaining negotiations. "This is completely unacceptable. Any and all charges must be dropped", said Sharan
Burrow, ITUC General Secretary. Earlier this year, several trade union leaders were brutally beaten by members of the
armed forces for exercising their fundamental trade union rights.
A series of laws and executive decrees have chiselled away at fundamental worker rights and in some cases have even
eliminated the possibility to challenge the unilateral acts of the government, which undermine workers' industrial and
democratic rights, before any tribunal. With the issuance this week of the Essential National Industries Employment
Decree, the rights of Fijian workers were dealt yet another severe blow. The decree, among other things, requires
existing unions to re-register under burdensome new rules, voids existing collective bargaining agreements and all but
eliminates the right to strike -- in any industry that the government may designate. "This decree constitutes a near
total repudiation of the fundamental trade union rights of the International Labour Organization," explained Sharan
Burrow, General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC).
"There is no question as to the government's aim - to destroy independent trade unionism in Fiji. We will not stand back
and allow that to happen," stated General Secretary Burrow. "Its actions leave us with no other option than to escalate
further our campaign to mobilize the international community to condemn these acts and to advocate for the restoration
of trade union and democratic freedoms in Fiji."
The ITUC represents 175 million workers in 151 countries and territories and has 305 national affiliates. http://www.ituc-csi.org and http://www.youtube.com/ITUCCSI