Sainimili Magimagi 
Nurses at their 67th Annual General Meeting held at the Grand Pacific Hotel.
A long-standing pay dispute for healthcare workers in the Eastern Division has been resolved. Maritime allowances for Levuka health staff have finally been approved after years of delay.
Fiji Nurses Association President Miliakere Nasorovakawalu confirmed the development at the 67th Annual General Meeting held at the Grand Pacific Hotel. She says maritime allowances for staff at Levuka Hospital and health centres have now been approved.She says the payments, pending since 2022, will be processed in the next pay cycle following endorsement by the Acting Permanent Secretary.
“For the organization, we have been struggling to and fro, to and fro, from 2022. We are not saying that because we are from Lomaiviti, we didn’t know. It is the entitlement.”
Nasorovakawalu describes the decision as a major win after prolonged negotiations. More than 300 healthcare workers in the Eastern Division previously received consolidated allowances, but Levuka staff were excluded due to contractual inconsistencies.
She adds that the association will now push for similar benefits to be extended to other healthcare workers in Levuka.
