Significant ILO meeting expected to keep up pressure on Suva

Transcript

The Fiji Trades Union Congress, says the International Labour Organisation's focus on Fiji at top policy level this week will keep up the pressure on the regime's treatment of trade unions.

The ILO's governing body has placed Fiji fourth on its agenda on Friday's session in Geneva - one of only three a year.

It is just the second time Fiji has been discussed at that level and the president of the umbrella Fiji body, Daniel Urai, told Sally Round that is significant for workers in Fiji.

DANIEL URAI: We have a regime that is breaking all laws and conventions that they've agreed with the International Labour Organisation in terms of workers' freedoms and in terms of the right to be represented and in terms of workers joining unions of their choice. All this has been breached by the current regime, particularly our civil servants and workers who work in government-related organisations.

SALLY ROUND: Yet the issue of Fiji has been discussed continuously at the ILO over the last couple of years at least, but you are not seeing much progress.

DU: It does take time. It is still significant in the fact that there's an organisation in the world that still talks about how badly workers are treated in their own country, like Fiji, and how the process of democracy has been virtually removed.

SR: The issue of the ILO coming to visit Fiji has been a sore point there, and with this particular meeting tomorrow they will  be trying to get a visit by ILO senior officials to Fiji before the end of the year. Now, it seems like the Fiji government is going to allow that to happen, so it does seem like there is some progress there. Is that enough in your view?

DU: There needs to be more done in terms of that. My understanding is while the Fiji government has given a specific date for the ILO team to visit Fiji, they are trying to amend the terms of reference that were initially given. Talks are going towards that direction. We are hopeful that good sense will prevail, and eventually the regime will allow the ILO team to come and make its visit and reach a report according to how workers are marginalised in this country. My understanding is they are trying to stop them from meeting with workers and employee organisations when they do visit Fiji.

SR: What do you hope will finally come out of this governing body meeting?

DU: We are hopeful that pressure will continue to be put on the regime. No-one is sitting back and telling them that what you are doing is good. At least we have international-level organisations. That is, despite things happening around the world, it's still recognising what is happening to workers and the process of democracy in Fiji, it needs someone coming up and telling the world that it shouldn't happen the way it's happening. But we have comfort in the fact the ILO did this with the Burma regime over a period of time. They persisted and in the end the military dictatorship in Burma caved in. We are hopeful within time the same issues will also happen in a regime like we have in Fiji.