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A group made up of former and current Fiji National University staff are calling for the removal of a senior management staff member amidst claims of employment and occupational health and safety breaches.

They also claim FNU Vice Chancellor Unaisi Nabobo-Baba is aware of the issue and is allegedly covering up for the senior staff member.

The staff, who spoke to FBC under the condition of anonymity, claim the FNU senior executive has no regard for employes personal lives or family responsibilities.

They also claim some employees were allegedly confined to a boardroom for three consecutive days and were only granted an hour each day for school drop-offs and pick-ups before being ordered back to work.

The group claims the senior staff member’s actions breach employment and occupational health and safety standards, describing her as “unethical and inhumane.”

They also claim the senior staff member lacks the formal qualifications to hold her current executive position.

The staff claim they have been raising these issues for over one and a half years, but their concerns have been largely ignored.

They further claim the Minister for Education had ordered an internal investigation, which led to the senior staff member being removed from her earlier position within the university. However, they allege that instead of taking disciplinary action against her, she was appointed Executive Director of the FNU Foundation — something they describe as a promotion rather than holding her accountable.

The complainants also claim that FNU Vice Chancellor Professor Unaisi Nabobo-Baba has failed to take meaningful action despite being repeatedly informed about the issues surrounding the senior staffer.

They allege that the Vice Chancellor appears to be “favouring Lobendahn” by not addressing the complaints.

Former staff member Rusiate Vada, who now lives in Australia, claims the excessive workload and stressful conditions under this senior staff member’s leadership made it difficult for staff to balance their professional and family lives.

He claims that sometimes the amount of work they were tasked to complete within a given timeframe left them no time for family.

Staff say their repeated appeals for intervention have gone unanswered, and they are calling for an independent review of FNU’s internal governance and management accountability.

FBC News has reached out to the senior executive in question and Vice Chancellor Professor Unaisi Nabobo-Baba for comments. They are yet to respond.

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