Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has acknowledged that members of the University of the South Pacific (USP) staff unions participating in the strike have adhered to all required procedures. This statement is the first official response from the Government following the strike initiated by the University Staff and Support Staff Union (USPU) and the Association of USP Staff (AUSPS) last Friday.
Both the USP and the Ministers for Education, Aseri Radrodro, and Employment, Productivity and Industrial Relations, Agni Deo Singh, have not commented on the situation at the Laucala Campus.
Mr. Rabuka stated that he has given Mr. Radrodro the authority to convene a meeting of the USP Council. He affirmed, “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 also mentioned that student support services at USP’s Laucala Campus continue to operate normally, thanks to staff members who are either not part of the union or have chosen not to join the strike.
Additionally, Mr. Rabuka has instructed the Minister for Education to organize a meeting of the USP Council to discuss the concerns raised by the USP Staff unions.
Last Thursday, Agnes Kotoisuva, the executive director for People’s and Workplace Strategy at USP, suggested in a staff email that the university might pursue legal action against the decisions of the Permanent Secretary of Employment, Productivity and Workplace Relations.
The staff unions are expressing dissatisfaction over the outcomes of a recent Special Council meeting, which they claim focused solely on human resources issues without adequately addressing the poor leadership of Vice Chancellor Pal. They are also raising concerns about leadership structure at the university and the dismissal of USP biologist professor Tamara Osborne-Naikatini in July, which they consider wrongful.