6 Oct 2012

Fiji employers say labour conditions better than ever

8:34 am on 6 October 2012

An employers' group in Fiji says the Essential Industries Decree has improved conditions for companies and workers in Fiji.

The President of the Fiji Commerce and Employers Federation Mark Matthews says the decree was brought in to protect businesses and industries that are critical to the national economy and the outcomes have not impacted on workers' rights.

The Fiji Government is preparing written submissions to the United States trade officials to avoid being removed from the General System of Preferences arrangement.

If the preferential trade arrangement is removed, the Fiji interim Government says up to 15,000 jobs could be at risk.

Mark Matthews says CEOs often tell him labour conditions in Fiji are better than ever.

"They are happy with the process, they are happy with the outcomes and they say their staff are also happy with the outcomes too, so I don't believe there has been any job loss, any degradation of workers' rights as a result of this. I think that the industrial relations landscape is probably better now than it has ever been in recent times."