Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has stated that the striking members of the University of the South Pacific (USP) staff unions have followed all required procedures. This is the first official response from the government since the University Staff and Support Staff Union (USPU) and the Association of USP Staff (AUSPS) initiated their strike last Friday.
The USP, along with the Minister for Education Aseri Radrodro and Minister for Employment, Productivity and Industrial Relations, Agni Deo Singh, has not commented on the strike occurring at the Laucala Campus.
Rabuka informed that he has authorized Minister Radrodro to convene a meeting of the USP Council. He stated, “The USP Staff union is in compliance with the provisions and procedures for a strike as set out in the Employment Relations Act 2007.” He added that student support services at the USP Laucala Campus continue to function normally, thanks to staff who are either not part of the union or who are union members but have opted not to strike.
Additionally, Rabuka has tasked the Minister for Education with organizing a meeting of the USP Council to discuss the claims raised by the USP Staff unions.
Previously, Agnes Kotoisuva, USP’s executive director for People’s and Workplace Strategy, hinted in a staff email that the university might pursue legal action regarding the rulings issued by the Permanent Secretary for Employment, Productivity, and Workplace Relations.
The grievances of the two staff unions arise from the outcome of a recent Special Council meeting, which they believe only addressed human resource matters while failing to tackle issues concerning the leadership of Vice-Chancellor Pal. The unions are also expressing concern over inadequate leadership structures at the university and the controversial termination of biologist professor Tamara Osborne-Naikatini in July.