More than 100 employees of the Fiji Roads Authority (FRA) have voted to initiate a strike, according to the Construction Energy & Timber Workers Union of Fiji (CETWUF), which represents them. The union’s members include staff working in FRA offices and at various worksites.
CETWUF Secretary-General John Paul stated that management has dismissed their requests for salary increases based on cost-of-living adjustments that have not been applied since 2017. He expressed concern that a government-owned organization like the FRA, which is fully funded by taxpayers, continues to rely on contract-based positions despite a critical shortage of workers in the construction sector.
Paul criticized the FRA for using legal advice funded by taxpayers to justify the continuation of contract-based appointments. He also pointed out that the organization has not appointed a full-time CEO since the previous CEO’s resignation in early 2023, leading to instability as the board intervenes in daily operations without qualified leadership.
Last month, union members voted to take action, with Paul announcing that the public may soon face disruptions due to ongoing tensions between the union and the FRA. Attempts to obtain comments from the FRA went unanswered before the publication of this article.