Narrow minded unionists are holding the country to ransom.

That’s what Attorney General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum has to say about the impasse between the government and the Fiji Trades Union Congress.

The International Labour Organization is considering a Commission of Inquiry against Fiji if the government, Employer’s Federation and the FTUC don’t submit a joint report in November.

The government continues to blame the unions…saying that changes are being made to labour laws and there is no need for an ILO commission of inquiry.

“A number of these unionists who are now sort of wanting to hold Fiji to ransom they have been involved in political parties themselves they have been leaders of political parties and all of them have been unsuccessful in the elections so whether they are pursuing their own political agenda our appeal to them is you need to put Fiji first you need to put the workers first.”

FTUC genera; secretary – Felix Anthony has denied the claims made by the government.

“His attempting to put the blame on the wrong party here the trade unionists did not impose the decrees. The ENI decree, the Employment Relations Amendment Decree, the State Services Decree, the Public Order Amendment Decree – the unionists did not impose those decrees it was his government that imposed and it is those decrees that violate fundamental rights of workers.”

Sayed-Khaiyum says the government has complied with the ILO convention on freedom of association and collective bargaining – but the FTUC says the tripartite agreement is not confined to just two issues.

The government, Employers Federation and the FTUC have four months to come to an agreement before the Geneva meeting.