Members of the National Union of Workers – Fiji have started taking part in a secret ballot for strike action at multinational company FIJI Water over claims of “continuing breaches that have been ongoing for years”, says NUW general secretary Felix Anthony.
FIJI Water employees cast their ballots at the company’s storage depot at Naikabula in Lautoka and the production site in Yaqara yesterday and would continue today in a process supervised by the Ministry of Employment, Productivity and Industrial Relations.
“There are continuing breaches by the company that have been going on for years,” Mr Anthony said.
“The workers are owed money for the work they have done and FIJI Water needs to come to the table and sit down and start some serious discussion.
“FIJI Water has been finding technicalities and gets away with it rather than attempt to resolve issues with the union.”
Mr Anthony said a major issue is the roster for workers at FIJI Water that “isn’t compliant with the law”.
“We have attempted to discuss this with the employer, but they have tried to avoid a resolution.
“This is the last resort that we have where the workers really want to exercise their right to ensure that we get some results. We have the secret ballot and we’ll now see what the future action will be.”
A spokesperson for the company acknowledged and supported the union’s right to pursue industrial action.
“FIJI Water takes all claims seriously and has been trying to work with the union to review their concerns and identify a solution,” the spokesperson said.
“FIJI Water is dedicated to resolving the issue through the appropriate channels but believes that the union has acted too quickly in this instance.
“So far, the union has not provided us with adequate details to enable us to review their complaint. Until the union complies with their obligations, we believe that any industrial action taken as a result of this ballot will be unlawful.”
