The Coalition of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises is urging the government to ensure transparency by publicly sharing the proposed amendments to the Employment Relations Act.
The coalition stated, “The government should at least lift the Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) that the Ministry of Employment, Productivity & Industrial Relations has placed on the employer members of the Employment Relations Advisory Board (ERAB). This would allow our representatives to engage openly with all MSMEs regarding the proposed changes.”
Concerns have been raised regarding the revelation of significant fines and prison sentences included in these proposed amendments, which were highlighted recently by the Fiji Commerce & Employers Federation (FCEF) and the Fiji Hotels & Tourism Association (FHTA). The coalition also expressed worry that these amendments could circumvent the cost-effective and popular mediation services currently offered.
The MSME Coalition acknowledged that the Trade, Cooperatives, MSME and Communications Ministry has made considerable advancements in enhancing the MSME ecosystem in Fiji.
They noted, “The recently launched National Development Plan (NDP) by the Ministry of Finance, Strategic Planning, National Development and Statistics aims for MSME contributions to GDP to rise to 20% by 2027.”
However, they cautioned that the proposed fines of up to $500,000 and potential imprisonment of up to 20 years could threaten the progress achieved by these two ministries, led by Hon. Kamikamica and Hon. Prasad, who are seen as visionaries. The coalition indicated that the proposed amendments to the Employment Relations Act could undermine the government’s efforts to support MSMEs and the private sector overall.