13 Dec 2011

Australasian union leaders defy Fiji regime ban

11:23 am on 13 December 2011

Australian and New Zealand trade union leaders are en route to Fiji today despite warnings they won't be let in to the country.

Leaders of the two countries' umbrella unions say they have had no official word they will be turned away.

The regime says as Australian Council of Trade Unions has called for Fiji to be blacklisted it is no longer welcome on its fact-finding mission..

But the Council's President Ged Kearney says that is a gross exaggeration of a call to have basic rights restored.

She says employers, workers and civil groups are keen to meet the mission.

"We think we owe it to them to actually make every effort we can to get into Fiji and actually see what is happening on the ground, which incidentally, was the suggestion of the Fijian Attorney-General. It seems to us he seems to very much have something to hide or something that he doesn't want us to see."