15 Aug 2011

Fiji Trades Union Congress to reapply to meet

2:45 pm on 15 August 2011

The National Secretary of the Fiji Trades Union Congress says the organisation will reapply for a permit to hold a council meeting in two Saturdays' time.

Felix Anthony says delegates had started to gather for the meeting last Saturday when police delivered a written revocation of the verbal permit they'd given earlier.

The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the interim government's recent decrees and in particular the Essential National Industries Decree, which will place significant curbs on the bargaining ability of workers and unions when it comes into effect.

Mr Anthony says the letter didn't give a reason for not allowing the meeting to go ahead.

"They require seven days' notice. The application was made well before the seven days. They had a responsibility to revert to the FTUC and say yes or no to the permit. We're not going to wait until the cows come home before they would say yes or no."

The National Secretary of the Fiji Trades Union Congress, Felix Anthony.