Litia Cava 
The National Union of Workers is urging the Prime Minister to step in, claiming Fiji Water planned to carry out redundancies without proper consultation with the union.
Speaking during the Fijian Media Association Town Hall Meeting in Tavua last night, Satish Chandra from the union’s Industrial Relations Office said the company had failed to follow the collective agreement and had started sending workers home without proper dialogue.
He requested that the Prime Minister instruct both parties to negotiate and reach a memorandum of agreement before proceeding with any redundancies.
Chandra said affected workers deserved fair compensation as many had families to support.
A representative from the Employment Ministry said the matter would be addressed under the Employment Relations Act and through the existing collective agreement process.
He explained that disputes between employers and employees must go through the proper mediation channels within the Ministry.
Chandra also raised concern over the growing number of foreign workers in Fiji, saying Fijians were being overlooked for employment opportunities.
He cited examples of Chinese workers at the Vatukoula Gold Mine and Bangladeshi workers in other sectors.
In response, the officer from the Ministry said government was aware of the issue and was working with the Ministry of Immigration to regulate recruitment agencies and ensure proper procedures were followed.
He said foreign workers were only permitted when there were no qualified local workers available.
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