26 Jun 2013

Unions says 300 workers made redundant from Fiji Mahogany company

9:56 am on 26 June 2013

The Fiji Trades Union Congress says more than 300 workers have now been made redundant from government-owned Fiji Hardwood Corporation Ltd, the company set up 15 years ago to harvest and market the country's plantation mahogany.

Last week, the government dumped several senior managers, including the acting chief executive, saying it wanted to re-launch FHCL as a dynamic company, able to compete internationally.

In April, the government narrowed the focus of the company from being the miller, exporter and manufacturer to purely a harvester of the wood.

The prime minister, Commodore Frank Bainimarama, said at the time the move would create more jobs especially for rural people and women.

He said it would introduce new skills and technologies and open new factories.

Also in April the government reportedly granted licences to eight companies to process the mahogany.

The FTUC said last Friday two FHCL company yards were shut down.

It says the closure is not in the interests of the Fijian people and contradicts the government's commitments to social and economic rights in its draft constitution.