More than 100 employees of the Fiji Roads Authority (FRA) have voted to strike, according to the Construction Energy & Timber Workers Union of Fiji (CETWUF), which represents them. The workers involved include those in FRA offices and at various worksites.
CETWUF Secretary-General John Paul highlighted that during discussions with management, the FRA has not considered the union’s requests for salary increases citing cost-of-living adjustments that have not been implemented since 2017.
Paul expressed concern over the fact that the government-funded FRA is reluctant to eliminate contract-based roles amid a significant labor shortage in the construction sector. He criticized the FRA for relying on legal advice, financed by taxpayer money, to justify its stance on maintaining contract positions.
Additionally, Paul noted the union’s dissatisfaction with the FRA’s failure to appoint a full-time CEO since the previous one resigned in early 2023. He stressed that an organization of this size cannot function effectively without a qualified CEO, especially with daily interventions from the board.
Union members had voted for action last month, and Paul warned the public to expect disruptions to FRA operations in the upcoming months due to this impasse between the union and FRA. Attempts to obtain comments from the FRA went unanswered before the publication of this article.