Energy Fiji Ltd (EFL) has denied claims that it rushed to take court action against a union leader following a strike notice, insisting the legal proceedings are unrelated to industrial matters and had been initiated weeks earlier.
In a statement issued yesterday, EFL said reports suggesting the company acted “barely a week” after the Construction, Energy & Timber Workers Union of Fiji (CETWUF), issued a strike notice were misleading and factually incorrect.
EFL general manager Human Resources Randhir Charan said the matter before the courts is a defamation case lodged at the High Court in Lautoka on December 24, 2025 — well before the union’s strike notice.
“The subject matter referred to in the article is a Defamation Case filed by EFL, through its lawyers, against Mr John Paul and CETWUF,” Mr Charan said. “It does not relate to employment conditions or workplace issues, as incorrectly stated in the article.”
He explained the case revolves around alleged defamatory statements made by the union’s national secretary, John Paul, which were “calculated to injure the reputation of the chief executive officer and the general manager Human Resources.”
Mr Charan emphasised that the defamation proceedings and the strike notice are two separate and unrelated matters. He said the industrial issues raised by the union are already before the Arbitration Court under Trade Dispute No. 4 of 2025 and also addressed in the union’s Notice of Secret Ballot issued in August 2025.
EFL said it had repeatedly requested Mr Paul to apologise and withdraw the statements, but received no response, leaving the company with no choice but to pursue legal action.
The company said it is now awaiting the court’s determination and urge staff to cooperate during the process. Efforts to obtain a comment from Mr Paul were unsuccessful when this edition went to press.
