The Employment Relations Court has upheld the Employment Tribunal’s decision to award 12 months’ pay to a Fiji National University (FNU) lecturer who was unfairly terminated in January 2013.
Laiakini Colati, who was employed by FNU, had his contract terminated on January 2, 2013, following investigations into three allegations against him. One of the allegations was that he refused to teach a Technical Drawing Unit due to the lack of proper drawing rooms for the students.
Justice Anjala Wati, in her July 11 ruling, stated that by the time the School of Applied Science had organized its administration, five weeks of teaching had been lost. Mr. Colati did not agree to teach beyond his scheduled hours, and his refusal was not deemed unreasonable.
The ruling highlighted that Mr. Colati’s entire career was dedicated to teaching, and losing his position at an institution where he had worked for decades had caused significant financial hardship.