19 Mar 2004

Fiji union claims victory in row with Telecom

11:51 am on 19 March 2004

Fiji's Post and Telecommunications Employees Association is claiming victory in a battle with Fiji Telecom.

It had threatened strike action over the company's planned restructure and the performance of its senior management.

But general secretary, Attar Singh, says they struck a deal in a meeting on Wednesday with the board of Amalgamated Telecom Holdings, the parent company of Telecom.

He says they have won agreement for the restructure to be put on hold and for an audit into the company to be independent.

Mr Singh says they failed to get Telecom's managing director, Winston Thompson, and chief operating officer, Norman Nicholls, suspended.

But he says the union will have input into the terms of reference for the audit and can still influence what happens to both men.

"We are confident that it will very very quickly reveal enough to implicate these two and maybe others. At that stage the appropriate action ca be taken as soon as that happens."