[Source: Parliament of the Republic of Fiji/Facebook]

The proposed amendments Employment Relations Bill does not allow members of the Fiji Police Force and the Fiji Corrections Service to take part in industrial action, even if they join a union.

The Fiji Trades Union Congress has agreed with this provision while welcoming the recognition of both institutions in the Bill.

While making submissions to the Standing Committee on Economic Affairs, FTUC National Secretary Felix Anthony also suggested that certain provisions in the Bill relating to these institutions should be removed, saying the legislation still imposes some limitations on their rights.

“We are saying that, that certain circumstances needs to be removed and they ought to be given full rights. The only area that we all agree on, I think the tripartite partners all agree on is that they don’t have the right to go on strike.”

Standing Committee Chair Premila Kumar then asked which sections of the Bill the FTUC wanted removed.

Anthony responded that the union should be allowed to make full representation for its members.

“Well at the moment the bill does not allow them for collective bargain, it excludes them from collective bargaining and you will also see that in certain parts that you will come to later the bill talks about the police officer or the correctional officers reporting a grievance on their own. What we are saying is they ought to have, if they have a union or an association they should also be allowed to report a grievance.”

The FTUC has also rejected the use of the term “voluntary” in the Bill, saying it should instead state that workers have the right to join a union.

Anthony said the current language is inconsistent with Section 20 of the Constitution and ILO Convention 87 on freedom of association.

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