The Fiji Trades Union Congress has warned it will consider a nationwide march if the long-awaited Employment Relations Bill is delayed again, saying workers have waited long enough for promised reforms.
Following an urgent meeting of its National Council on Saturday, FTUC National Secretary Felix Anthony said the union was hopeful the Government would finally honour its commitments.
“Workers have been waiting on promises for the past three years since the Coalition Government came into power. The Employment Relations Act has been pending for more than 12 years.”
Anthony said Employment Minister Agni Deo Singh had assured the Council that the Employment Relations Bill would be presented during Parliament’s August sitting and that the Government remained committed to enacting the legislation.
The Minister also advised that appointments to the Wages Council would be completed within a month after the expiry of the previous tripartite council and announced that Government would adopt a transparent process to review the National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage, with funding already allocated in the 2026-2027 National Budget.
Anthony said the FTUC welcomed those commitments but stressed workers now expected action rather than more assurances.
“The National Council calls upon the Government to prioritise the passing of this Bill, which is in line with the recommendations made in the ILO Committee of Experts Report.”
He said the union was also still waiting for the Government to fulfil its commitment to restore tripartite representation on the FNPF Board.
Anthony revealed that the National Council had discussed organising a national protest should the legislation face further delays.
“The FTUC Council discussed the possibility of a national march as protest should the Bill continue to languish in Parliament and be delayed further by the Parliamentary Sub-Committee.”
He said the union was calling on the Government to move the legislation forward without further delay.
“We call upon Government to progress the much-awaited legislation that will improve employment relations and workers’ rights in the country.”
