The US Department of State’s 2024 Trafficking in Persons Report notes that for the third year in a row, the Government hasn’t reported on the number of labour inspections carried out, nor has it identified any violations of child labour laws.
According to the report, the Ministry of Employment, Productivity, and Industrial Relations (MEPIR) employs inspectors specifically tasked with identifying infringements of labour laws, including those related to wages.
Further, the report mentions that the government has reported providing training to these labour inspectors on the identification of victims. Though, in the past, observers noted that inspectors lacked a sufficient understanding of forced labour and the enforcement mechanisms related to child labour.
As the report further details, the Ministry of Labour permanent secretary grants authorisation certificates to employment agencies, provided they adhere to the Employment Relations Regulations of 2008. Agencies that operate without such authorisation could potentially face penalties including a $20,000 fine, imprisonment of their supervising officials for up to four years, or both.
Although, the report indicates that no agencies were convicted for such offenses during the reporting period. The original report can be found in The Fiji Times under the title “No report on labour inspections”.