News

Parliamentary Committee wraps up ERP Amendments Bill

June 22, 2015 1:33 am

Nine oral submissions have been received for the Employment Regulations Promulgation Amendments Bill that is before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Justice, Law and Human Rights.

Public submissions closed on Friday with the committee receiving oral responses throughout the week.

‘’The submitters included trade unions, the International Labour Organization, NGO’s and the national air carrier, Fiji Airways’’.

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Committee Chairman Ashneel Sudhakar says the committee is now drafting its report which will be finalized next week.

The final report is expected to include possible amendments based on the submissions received to the Bill for consideration.

The ERP Amendments Bill report will be tabled in Parliament in the July sitting.

The committee will also in the July Parliament sitting be submitting its finalized reports on the National Flag Protection Bill and the Coat of Arms Bill which outlines the regulations on the use of the new national flag and the coat of arms which come into effect from the 10th of October this year.

A petition to hold a referendum to change the national flag which was signed by an estimated 1500 people was dismissed by the committee without hearing.

Sudhakar says the committee could not hear the petition because there is no law on referendum with regards to the changing of the flag.

He adds while the committee will submit a report to Parliament on the dismissal of the petition, no other similar petition can be brought to the committee within the next 6 months.