Members of the Fijian Teachers Association (FTA) are urging Finance Minister Professor Biman Prasad to resign due to ongoing salary issues, but Prof Prasad is defending the pay increase announced for civil servants in this year’s budget.
At the FTA’s annual general meeting in Suva, retired politician Ratu Peceli Rinakama expressed his belief that a new Finance Minister should be appointed, as Prof Prasad has failed to address the long-standing issues raised by teachers over time. Ratu Peceli stated that all proposals discussed during the meeting need to be acted upon, arguing that simply submitting them without follow-through is ineffective.
While acknowledging the democratic election of the government, he emphasized that members must advocate for themselves, expressing a desire for a change in the Minister for Finance due to political circumstances.
In response, Prof Prasad claimed that Ratu Peceli was misinformed. He noted that as a retired politician, Ratu Peceli may not understand that decisions regarding salaries and job evaluations fall under the Public Service Commission. The minister expressed satisfaction with the FTA’s cordial discussions and emphasized that the government’s recent budget decision to raise salaries for civil servants by 7 to 10 percent was generally well-received.
Prof Prasad indicated that a review might be forthcoming, which could include job evaluations to address some of the issues linked to salary increases. He stressed that Ratu Peceli’s criticisms reflected a misunderstanding of the government’s budgetary measures aimed at improving civil servants’ pay.
He concluded that personal attacks against him would not prevent the government from tackling the ongoing challenges faced by teachers, noting that the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Civil Service are responsible for implementing necessary reforms to resolve these issues.