The Permanent Secretary for Sugar, Dr. Vinesh Kumar, has confirmed that 128 seasonal workers at the Fiji Sugar Corporation’s (FSC) Rarawai Mill in Ba have been stood down following the September fire that forced the mill’s closure.
Dr. Kumar said the workers, who are normally employed only during the crushing season, had been retained for several weeks after the fire and would be called back once crushing operations resume.
“These 128 seasonal workers are normally employed during the crushing period,” Dr. Kumar said.
“We kept them from 17 September until now. They will be called back once the mill resumes crushing. They were also paid their leave dues. FSC has been working closely with their union representatives under the collective agreement,” he added.
The Rarawai Mill has been out of operation since a fire on 17 September caused major damage to critical machinery. FSC is aiming to restart crushing by early December once repairs are complete.
However, the decision to send workers home has reignited concerns about job security in the sugar sector.
Fiji Labour Party Leader Mahendra Chaudhry criticised both the government and FSC for what he described as “a betrayal of trust.”
“We had made it clear that workers should not be penalised as the devastation caused by the fire had largely been a result of negligence on the part of FSC,” Chaudhry said.
“Both government and FSC are now honour bound to retain all workers at the Rarawai Mill or pay them compensation wages until they can be re-employed once the mill begins operation in early December.”
“Workers should not be made to suffer for FSC’s ineptitude,” he added.
