23 Sep 2016

Fiji Roads Authority considers firm's withdrawal unlawful

7:42 pm on 23 September 2016

The Fiji Roads Authority says it considers a global engineering firm's decision to leave the country unlawful.

MWH Global announced it has terminated its contract with the Fiji Roads Authority on Friday, following the unexplained deportation of two of its workers last week.

In light of the move, the multinational has moved many other foreign workers out of Fiji this week and terminated its contract this morning.

The company has been in a payment dispute with the roads authority since March.

MWH Global Managing Director for Australia, New Zealand and Fiji, Mark Bruzzone, said the company had been meeting its obligations to staff and clients, and he was disappointed to bring the relationship to and end.

But in a statement, the Fiji Roads Authority said it considered the action taken by MWH unlawful, and it would be addressing it as part of the broader ongoing commercial dispute between the two.

It said it would be taking many of MWH's former functions in-house, and would work with MWH and contractors to ensure the transition was as seamless as possible.