The Coalition of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) is urging the government to ensure transparency by publicly releasing the proposed changes to the Employment Relations Act.
The coalition stated, “At minimum, the Government should waive the Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) imposed by the Ministry of Employment, Productivity & Industrial Relations on employer members of the Employment Relations Advisory Board (ERAB), allowing our representatives to communicate openly with all MSMEs and discuss the proposed amendments.”
Concerns were raised regarding significant fines and lengthy prison sentences included in the amendments, which were brought to light by the Fiji Commerce & Employers Federation (FCEF) and the Fiji Hotels & Tourism Association (FHTA). The Coalition also expressed worry that these amendments could undermine popular mediation services designed to reduce costs for businesses.
Despite these concerns, the MSME Coalition acknowledged the efforts of the Trade, Cooperatives, MSME and Communications Ministry, which has made considerable advancements in enhancing Fiji’s MSME landscape.
The recently introduced National Development Plan (NDP) lays out a vision for increasing the MSME contribution to Fiji’s GDP to 20% by 2027.
However, the proposed penalties of up to $500,000 and potential prison terms of up to 20 years could hinder progress for MSMEs, as highlighted by the coalition. They argued that such amendments contradict the Coalition Government’s efforts to support MSMEs and the broader private sector.