Three Cabinet Ministers will hold a special meeting next week to address the developments at the University of the South Pacific (USP) Laucala Bay Campus.
Minister for Education Aseri Radrodro, currently on a ministerial tour of the Lau Group, announced his plans for the meeting. The University Staff and Support Staff Union (USPU) alongside the Association of USP Staff (AUSPS) recently received a mandate to strike in order to demand the removal of the Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Pal Ahluwalia.
In a secret ballot conducted on Wednesday, over 90 percent of union members voted in favor of Professor Ahluwalia’s dismissal. The secret ballot was managed by the Ministry of Employment, Productivity, and Industrial Relations, which has registered more than 550 members to date. The unions have accused Professor Ahluwalia of poor governance concerning staff welfare.
The meeting will include Minister for Employment, Productivity and Industrial Relations Agni Deo Singh and Minister for Finance Biman Prasad, along with Mr. Radrodro. “I have requested the permanent secretary to organize the agenda for the meeting,” Mr. Radrodro stated. He plans to convene the meeting upon his return to Suva next week, where he, Deputy Prime Minister Prasad, and the Minister for Labour will discuss the situation at USP.