12 Jun 2003

Fiji labour minister accused of damaging country's image

4:47 pm on 12 June 2003

The Secretary of the Fiji Trade Union Congress says the Labour Minister, Kenneth Zinck, has damaged the country's image at the International Labour Conference in Geneva.

Fiji has been denied voting rights by the credentials committee at the conference and Felix Anthony says it is because Mr Zinck dumped the TUC representative from his delegation.

Mr Anthony says delegations must contain representatives of the government, employers and the largest union.

He says parliament must investigate the delegation upon its return because it has cost taxpayers over 70-thousand US dollars and has only brought Fiji into disrepute.

"Fiji has now been put into a league of rouge states who do not honor workers rights and here we see that Fiji has been put into a category of countries that have continually breached ILO constitution, countries like Congo and Herzegovina, Zambia, Dominican Republic, Lebanon and so forth"

Felix Anthony.