The Fiji Labour Party has criticised Minister for Finance Biman Prasad, accusing him of hypocrisy for asserting that the Coalition Government respects worker and trade union rights. The former Prime Minister, Mahendra Chaudhry, has said that these rights have actually been undermined by the government. His accusations come in response to unilateral pay increases of between seven and 20 percent for established civil servants – a move that he sees as bypassing collective bargaining rights.
Chaudhry denies the likelihood of acceptance by the unions due to the salary increases falling significantly short of their claims. Expressing further discontent, he has called out the government for endorsing their own pay and allowance raises, ignoring public outrage.
Chaudhry has also brought attention to the controversial increase in funds for the Pacific Polytechnic Institute, where the grant rises from $1m to $5m. Concerns were raised due to the institute’s dubious reputation and its close ties with the Minister. He further criticised the relative funding for other vocational and training institutes that collectively receive a grant of just $3.5m. Chaudhry has called on the Education Ministry to investigate.