‘No law on 2 jobs’

Listen to this article:

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Professor Biman Prasad speaks during the Post Budget Fiji Development Bank Stakeholder Engagement at Namaka Public School in Nadi. Picture: REINAL CHAND

There is no law or policy that restricts individuals from having multiple jobs to earn additional income, says Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Professor Biman Prasad.

He was responding to a question raised by Akanisi Veikoso during the Fiji Development Bank Post Budget Consultation in Nadi yesterday.

Ms Veikoso requested that the Government open up the market to allow people to earn more income with two jobs in order to propel them to the $30,000 tax threshold.

Prof Prasad said apart from civil servants, there was no law stopping people from working at more than one organisation.

“So, if you want to work for eight hours in a hotel and you can go and work for another three hours in a supermarket, I don’t think there is any restriction for you to do that,” he said.

Prof Prasad said certain companies may have policies which prohibit their employees from working elsewhere.

“Nobody can stop you,so, if you are working in a hotel and you want to run a small business, there is no law which says you can’t do that plus a second job.

“If you work Monday to Friday in a hotel, Saturday you are not working there, you can go and work for somebody else and get an additional income.”

Prof Prasad said Fiji generally allow individuals to hold multiple jobs.

“So, if an employer tells you that you can’t hold two jobs, tell him or her that there is no policy to restrict them.”