The chairman of the Fiji Roads Authority (FRA) Board, Atunaisa Nayago, has expressed the FRA’s willingness to address issues with the Construction, Energy, Timber Workers Union of Fiji (CETWUF) using legal frameworks. In a recent statement, Nayago mentioned that he would not delve into specific details about the ongoing issue but acknowledged that the union’s recent communications indicated a stalemate in discussions.
He referenced the Employment Relations Act 2007, which provides a structured mechanism for dispute resolution, stating that FRA would prefer to utilize this process to manage the current deadlock. Nayago emphasized that resolving disputes through media statements is neither effective nor professional and can be viewed as an attempt to intimidate the other party, ultimately hindering constructive resolution.
Nayago’s remarks follow a CETWUF press release from September 3, signed by national secretary John Paul, which revealed that FRA workers who are union members had voted overwhelmingly in favor of potential strike action. John Paul highlighted that since the FRA’s establishment in 2012, the government has allocated over $4 billion in funding. He mentioned that discussions regarding the terms and conditions for workers began after FRA joined CETWUF in early 2023.
The union leader criticized the FRA for lacking a salary structure and performance management system, claiming that wage increments have not been applied fairly and that management has ignored requests for salary increases to reflect cost of living adjustments, which have not been implemented since 2017.
John Paul also pointed out that the Coalition Government had promised to eliminate contract-based appointments in the civil service but that state-owned entities like the FRA continue to use such contracts despite a critical shortage of labor in the construction sector.
The union recently conducted a secret ballot on potential strike action, supervised by officials from the Ministry of Employment, Productivity and Industrial Relations at various FRA workstations. As a result of the ongoing standoff, the public has been warned to expect disruptions in FRA operations across the country in the coming months.