Representatives of two Fiji trade union organisations walked out of the National Economic Council meeting organized to discuss the third phase of the Government’s prices and incomes policy.
This was reported in The Fiji Times of Friday, October 19, 1973.
Minister for Commerce, Mohammed Khan was reading his prepared opening speech for about 10 minutes when the secretary of the Fiji Council of Trade unions, Ujagar Singh said: “Nonsense”.
Mr Singh walked out. The general secretary of the Building Workers’ Union, Joseph Anthony and other BWU official, Francis Nair, left with him.
Mr Khan continued his speech, but at the end of it the secretary of the Fiji Trades Union Congress, James Raman, left the meeting with about 40 more trade unionists.
Mr Raman said the PIB had been following the wages policy rather than a prices and incomes policy.
He said PIB had failed to combat inflation.
When the unionists left the lower auditorium of the Civic Centre in Suva, the PIB’s chairman Dr Norman Ross, expressed regret at their action.
A Suva Chamber of Commerce delegate, Chimanlal Narsey, suggested postponing the conference and some other delegates supporting him.
They said they needed time to study a report the NEC had prepared suggesting ways of tying future pay rises-to-cost of living increases.
Dr Ross said the conference could discuss the pay guidelines and delegates could make written submissions later.
The Fiji Times front page on Friday, October 19, 1973. Picture: FT FILE
The Fiji Times front page on Tuesday, October 19, 1976. Picture: SUPPLIED
