Public Services Union Fight for Human Rights in Fiji
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ACTU President Ged Kearney supports Human Rights in Fiji
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ACTU President Ged Kearney said Australian unions joined their colleagues from around the Asia-Pacific region in unreservedly condemning the ongoing harassment and persecution of workers and their union representatives in Fiji.
“The military regime in Fiji has been arrogantly flouting basic human and labour rights conventions for far too long and the situation for ordinary Fijian workers is going from bad to worse,” Ms Kearney said.
“We call on the global community to increase pressure on Fiji to restore democracy and respect human and worker rights, beginning with the abolition of the recent Essential Services Decree.”
Peter Waldorff, General Secretary of PSI called on the government of Fiji to stop all acts of intimidation and persecution of trade unionists and to discontinue the unjustified charges against union officials and to reinstate check of facilities for public sector unions.
Peter Waldorff said ”the Fijian government needs to de-militarise the civil service and return to democracy. Fiji needs free and fair elections as a matter of urgency”.
David Carey, Federal Secretary of the CPSU-SPSF and co-chair of PSI Oceania said “We the unions are committed fairness and what is happening in Fiji is just not fair. The military dictatorship of Fiji has decided to take away basic human rights from Fijian workers and we as workers have decided to do something about it.
"It does not make sense for the Australian Government and Australian businesses to do in Fiji, what they would never even contemplate to do here. It isn’t fair and it is not good business.
"We will be asking ANZ and Westpac to commit to honouring the agreements that were in place prior to the introduction of the Essential National Industries Decree Law and to keep talking with the union. We will also be asking the Australian government to ensure that the $37.5 million dollars of aid to Fiji is not spent on any project where workers' human rights are violated.
"We support human rights in Fiji and we are asking the Australian government and Australian business to do the right thing.”
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