20 Dec 2002

Fiji police threaten strike over pay and conditions

11:19 am on 20 December 2002

Fiji will be in danger of becoming a mecca for criminals if regular officers and special constables of the police force go ahead with their plans to stage a strike.

The Daily Post quotes an officer as saying the strike could start as early as next Monday if no concrete action is taken to better their pay and working conditions.

He says police have been holding meetings and a strike is the best option they have come up with.

The officer says working without pay, especially while serving on special operations, and catching buses and taxis and paying from their own pockets while attending to calls for help were a common practice for police officers.

The officer says police who worked extra hours during the ACP summit in July, the Pacific Forum in August and the National Economic Summit in September have still not been paid.

The police spokeswoman, Inspector Unaisi Vuniwaqa, says police have faced these problems for years but it had not reached a point where officers went on strike.

But she denied that police had not been paid.

The strike plan has come to light at the end of a week in which the deputy leader, Ofa Swann, revealed that 70 per cent of police officers live below the poverty line.