A rising number of business leaders have echoed tourism leader Fantasha Lockington’s earlier call for greater transparency in the formulation of laws impacting the employment sector. Concerns regarding the draft Employment Relations Bill have resurfaced, two years after similar issues were raised by business leaders in SunBiz.
Recent modifications to the draft document have heightened anxiety regarding the drafting process, which Lockington claims was done without consulting business owners or their representatives. The situation, initiated this week by Fiji Hotel and Tourism Association CEO, reveals an attempt to silence business voices within the Fiji Commerce and Employers Federation.
“We received a draft Bill unexpectedly yesterday afternoon, which includes new provisions,” Lockington explained about the latest version. “This process should be consultative rather than merely about submitting documents. It wouldn’t help to submit anything since they had already prepared the draft. They are expected to engage with us for discussions, yet it seems they are avoiding justification for each amendment.”
Lockington’s stance is significant, coming more than two years after manufacturer Mike Towler expressed similar concerns. Towler criticized the ministry’s inaction, stating, “It is the ministry that has been procrastinating instead of the Fiji Commerce and Employers Federation.” He highlighted that Lockington’s public remarks were in response to the ministry’s failure to negotiate changes to the Employment Relations Act and criticized the government’s lack of action regarding the unlawful process for increasing the national minimum wage.
The Employment Ministry has stated its dedication to promoting good faith dialogue on the review of the Employment Relations Act. Minister Agni Deo Singh expressed the ministry’s commitment to consulting its partners, including the Fiji Commerce and Employers Federation and the Fiji Trades Union Congress, in line with International Labour Organization standards.
However, Towler contested this commitment, asserting that the Ministry of Employment has acted in bad faith. He also scrutinized Singh’s competence in managing the proposed Employment Relations Act, urging him to remember his role as a minister rather than a union representative. “It may be time for him to resign or be removed and for someone capable of ministerial duties to take over,” added Towler.