12 Oct 2011

Air Pacific says Fiji regime's consultation on decree was appropriate

7:21 pm on 12 October 2011

Fiji's national airline Air Pacific says it does not deny helping the interim regime with a decree widely criticised as being anti union.

The airline's management has drawn crticism from unions for allegedly paying for a New York law firm to draft Fiji's Essential National Industries Decree.

Leaked invoices show Air Pacific was billed at an hourly rate of just under one thousand dollars.

But a company spokesperson says providing input on proposed legislation is a common practice in Fiji and other countries, particularly where laws are going to affect businesses vital to a country's well-being.

Air Pacific says the majority of confidential documents at the heart of an investigation involving a suspended employee have nothing to do with the decree.