Former politician Parmod Chand believes the minimum wage for civil servants and casual workers should be increased first before those of ministers.
Mr Chand said this was not the appropriate time for a pay hike for ministers and MPs.
“We should have looked at the civil servants, then the workers and the minimum wage rate first,” he said.
The Labasa businessman said the wait for a salary raise for civil servants has been protracted.
“We have a lot of professionals and educated people leaving our shores for greener pastures,” he said, adding Fiji could not afford to keep losing skilled people.
“We have to also accommodate them and we have to see that cost of living adjustments are made for all of them.”
Mr Chand said members of the National Federation Party had decided from last year to oppose any decision to increase ministers’ pay.
“We had a meeting late last year and we had decided we would oppose it.
“For leaders, rulers and governors, we move on to that should later on.”
The motion to accept the Emoluments Committee Report recommending a pay rise to parliamentarians including the Speaker and the President was passed by Parliament last Friday.
The report however recommends that salaries for Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka and the Minister of Finance, Biman Prasad, be reduced.
Prime Minister Sitivenui Rabuka has said a Bill to amend the 2014 Remunerations Act will have to be presented in Cabinet and passed by Parliament between July and December this year.
