3 Mar 2011

International union body alarmed at Fiji beatings

8:11 pm on 3 March 2011

The International Trade Union Confederation has spoken out against last month's beating by the Fiji military of the General Secretary of the Fiji Trade Union Congress, Felix Anthony.

The Confederation has asked the International Labour Organisation to intervene with the Fiji authorities.

It says unionists were called to meet the interim prime minister, Commodore Frank Bainimarama, who is also the sugar minister, but then taken by soldiers to the barracks for a beating.

The Confederation says this kind of behaviour from the Fiji regime is totally unacceptable and a serious violation of fundamental trade union rights.

It says the military also threatened his children.