18 Jan 2011

Fiji union concerned about Air Pacific staffing

1:03 pm on 18 January 2011

The Transport Workers Union in Fiji is worried local workers are being forced out of jobs at Air Pacific and losing out to foreigners.

Its General Secretary Kamlesh Kumar says the union is concerned that a number of expat consultants have been hired over last few months to replace local workers and is worried there will be further job losses.

He has written to Air Pacific, saying he believes the company's silence so far could be indicative that redundancies may eventually result.

"We are concerned that workers in this country are being forced out of employment and they have got absolutely nowhere else to fall back on. There's no employment, no social security, absolutely nothing to fall back on. And we as representatives of workers are very concerned of developments not only in Air Pacific but in many other organisations generally throughout the country."

Kamlesh Kumar from Fiji's Transport Workers Union.

The CEO of Air Pacific, David Pflieger, has declined to comment on the matter.