FIJI Human Rights and Anti- Discrimination Commission (FHRADC) chairperson Pravesh Sharma says the rights of the Grace Road Group must be respected.
In an interview with the Fiji Times online portal The Lens@177, Mr Sharma questioned whether the Ministry of Employment, Productivity and Workplace Relations would treat any local employer the same way it has
treated the Grace Road Group (GRG).
The ministry recently announced it had found “breaches” in Grace Road’s operations and that officers would be deployed to Grace Road properties to investigate.
Mr Sharma said it appeared the ministry was wrong in its actions regarding GRG.
“It appears so prima facie because rather than give them an opportunity to explain the breaches and rectify them, they’ve come out publicly in a media statement,” he said.
“The Ministry of Employment has come out quite strongly to say that there are breaches being carried out by the Grace Road Group of Companies.
Now that, to me, appears before Grace Road was given an opportunity to address and rectify that.
“So, I think that right needs to be respected.”
Mr Sharma said the ministry could have informed the company first about the alleged breaches before making a public statement.
“Before you come out publicly, you need to say to them, ‘these are breaches, can you rectify them?’ Or are they not breaches? “So, my question is, are local companies carrying out similar breaches? “You mentioned the migrant Bangladeshi workers, they’ve been left stranded many times.
“Is the Ministry of Employment treating local employers in the same way it is doing with Grace Road Group?”
Grace Road has said it employs 800 workers in Fiji and that they would cooperate with the ministry to clear up any public concerns.
