University of the South Pacific Vice Chancellor, Professor Pal Ahluwalia, has terminated the contract of Dr. Tamara Osborne-Naikatini, the President of the Association of the University of the South Pacific Staff, due to alleged gross misconduct.
In a joint statement, the University of the South Pacific Staff Union and the Association of the University of the South Pacific Staff claimed that Professor Ahluwalia launched a severe attack on the staff union and freedom of speech at USP through a formal letter.
They asserted that this action represents an assault on freedom of speech at USP, as Dr. Naikatini was terminated for speaking to the media. Dr. Osborne-Naikatini defended USP staff and advocated for good governance, which ultimately led to her termination. The accusations of gross misconduct are related to information she allegedly shared in an Islands Business interview in the March 2024 edition, which revealed flaws in the review process of the Vice-Chancellor and President’s (VCP) performance, leading to a two-year contract renewal for Professor Ahluwalia. Dr. Osborne-Naikatini served as the staff representative on the Senate’s Review Committee.
The statement highlighted that current USP Discipline Regulations position the Vice-Chancellor and President as both judge and jury, creating a clear conflict of interest, as senior staff can only be terminated by the VCP. Moreover, there is no recourse for appeal since the VCP has not filled the ‘Visitor position.’
Both AUSPS and USPSU intend to pursue relevant processes to address what they view as the vindictive and bullying termination of their president. They emphasized that this incident represents an attack not only on the unions at USP but also on the freedom of unions in Fiji. They called on sister unions, NGOs, and relevant organizations to condemn this action strongly.
Last Friday, the unions sent a joint letter to the VCP, urging him to reconsider his decision and reminding him of a similar situation in 2019, where the unions supported him when he was victimized as a whistleblower. The unions expressed disappointment at what they perceive as a short-lived memory.
The USPSU and AUSPS maintain their united stance, as stated in their release.