The Fiji Labour Party has criticized Finance Minister Biman Prasad’s claims that the Coalition Government respects workers and trade union rights, referring to it as insincere rhetoric. Former Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry responded to the budget announcement by arguing that the government has negated trade unions’ right to collective bargaining by independently introducing pay raises between seven to 20 percent for civil servants, and a $1 per hour increase for hourly employees.
According to Chaudhry, these proposed increases fall significantly short of what the unions have been lobbying for and will probably be rejected by them. He added that the government has unapologetically approved a pay and allowances hike as recommended by the Parliamentary Emoluments Committee, ignoring substantial public outrage over this perceived self-serving move.
Chaudhry also drew attention to the enhanced funding allocated for the Pacific Polytechnic Institute. He expressed serious concerns about the Institute’s funding hike from $1m to $5m due to its controversial history and close ties with theMinister. He also emphasized the need for the Education Ministry to probe the unfair distribution of grants totaling only $3.5m amongst several other established vocational and training institutions, compared to the substantial funding awarded to the Pacific Polytechnic Institute.