A rising number of business leaders are echoing a previous warning issued by tourism leader Fantasha Lockington regarding the need for transparency in the formulation of employment legislation. This renewed concern revolves around the draft Employment Relations Bill, which has sparked a similar outcry from business leaders two years after SunBiz first reported on related issues.
Recent amendments to the draft have intensified worries over how it was compiled, with Mrs. Lockington emphasizing that the process was conducted without consulting business owners or their representatives. The issue was brought to light this week by Fiji Hotel and Tourism Association CEO, highlighting what appears to be a covert operation aimed at stifling the voices of leaders in the Fiji Commerce and Employers Federation.
“We received a draft Bill yesterday afternoon (Monday, October 15) without any advance notice, which includes new elements,” Mrs. Lockington stated regarding the latest iteration of the draft. “The whole situation should be about consultation, not merely submissions. Submitting feedback has no impact since the draft is already prepared. They are meant to discuss changes with us, but it seems they avoided justifying each alteration.”
In a bold move, Mrs. Lockington is tackling this issue more than two years after manufacturer Mike Towler voiced similar concerns. “It is the ministry that has been stalling and pushing this issue away rather than the Fiji Commerce and Employers Federation,” Mr. Towler said from Australia. He questioned why Mrs. Lockington felt compelled to address the matter publicly if the Federation was indeed responsible for the delays. He also criticized the government’s lack of action to correct the illegal procedures surrounding the national minimum wage and the sectoral wage council adjustments.
The Employment Ministry claims it is dedicated to promoting inclusive and good-faith dialogue regarding the review of the Employment Relations Act. Minister Agni Deo Singh remarked that the Ministry of Employment, Productivity, and Workplace Relations is actively engaging with its tripartite partners—Fiji Commerce and Employers Federation and Fiji Trades Union Congress—in compliance with the International Labour Organisation’s Convention 144 concerning tripartite consultations.
However, Mr. Towler refuted this assurance. “The Ministry of Employment is the one acting in bad faith, not the Fiji Commerce and Employers Federation,” he asserted. Both Minister Singh and the ministry’s media liaison officer Elina Vuniwa are currently outside the country and did not respond to inquiries from SunBiz.
Furthermore, Mr. Towler questioned the ministry’s ability to manage the proposed Employment Relations Act effectively. He reminded Mr. Singh of the need to separate his past as a union representative from his current ministerial responsibilities. “Has he forgotten that he is no longer a union representative?” Mr. Towler criticized. “He is now a minister and must perform as such. It’s time for him to resign or be dismissed and replaced by someone capable of fulfilling the role of a minister rather than acting like a shop steward.”