Savenaca Narube, the leader of the Unity Fiji Party and former Governor of the Reserve Bank, has called for a swift resolution to the ongoing staff strike at the University of the South Pacific (USP). The strike, which is now in its fourth day, has been initiated by the USP Staff Union, which is demanding the removal of Vice-Chancellor Prof. Pal Ahluwalia and advocating for improved governance at the university.
Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has acknowledged the staff’s adherence to the strike protocols and has urged the university council to hold an urgent meeting to address the situation. Narube expressed his support for the striking staff during a visit to the Laucala campus, emphasizing the necessity of an investigation into the governance issues raised by the staff.
He stated, “We need to drill down, and I believe what they want is an investigation to bring out the truth about this. What’s wrong with that? The USP Council needs to support that.” Narube pointed out that while the council appears to have backed the investigation, progress has been slow due to the lack of defined terms of reference.
Narube criticized Prof. Ahluwalia’s absence from the campus while the university faces unrest, noting that the Vice-Chancellor has been attending official engagements across the Pacific, including in Solomon Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu, and currently Samoa for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. He urged Ahluwalia to address the Strike issues instead of avoiding them, saying, “When your organization is under fire, you go and put out the fire, don’t run away!”
Narube flagged the negative impact of the strike on students, who have expressed concerns over the postponement of their online tests and tutorials. “The welfare of the students, the education of our children is affected by this. Those in power must resolve this so exams can continue as scheduled,” he stated.
In response, Prime Minister Rabuka affirmed that the USP Staff Union is compliant with the provisions of the Employment Relations Act 2007 regarding strike action. He has directed Minister for Education Aseri Radrodro to convene a meeting of the USP Council to discuss the demands put forth by the staff union.