Energy Fiji Limited (EFL) workers are poised to strike starting February 25, 2026, unless the management engages in meaningful discussions with the Construction, Energy and Timber Workers Union of Fiji regarding several long-standing employment issues. The Union’s National Secretary, J A Paul, announced that a Notice of Strike was issued on January 9 following a secret ballot conducted among EFL workers in 2025. The union currently represents approximately 500 employees, with membership numbers steadily increasing.
Paul expresses regret over the decision, emphasizing that EFL is an essential service and that any industrial action may lead to widespread disruption in electricity supply across the nation. The union’s strike notice was prompted by the company’s refusal to negotiate a 10 percent wage increase for the years 2024 and 2025, along with its failure to provide shift allowances, live-line allowances for crane operators, and to upgrade pay rates for live-line workers.
The wage claims presented by the union are characterized as “catch-up claims,” aimed at addressing a decade-long decline in workers’ conditions since EFL was designated an essential industry in 2011, thereby restricting collective bargaining. Paul notes that no collective agreement was reached between 2011 and 2022, resulting in diminished wages, reduced benefits, and the loss of numerous skilled workers to both domestic and international job opportunities.
In addition, the union highlights pay inequality among the company’s workforce, pointing out that nine senior EFL executives earned a combined total of $3.3 million in 2024, a 14 percent increase, while ordinary workers did not see any wage increase for the same period. Paul further argues that the situation was exacerbated by EFL’s legal action against the union, which alleges defamation related to communications that were sent to union members—a move the union considers unprecedented and an attempt to intimidate its workforce.
The union is now urging the Prime Minister and the Government to intervene swiftly and compel EFL management to return to the negotiating table. Paul reiterated the union’s openness to dialogue but emphasized its commitment to defending the rights of workers, cautioning that failure to address these issues could result in significant disruptions across the country.
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