BLOODY NOSE IN GENEVA?: Leaked ILO Governing Body Draft likely to censure Fiji over labour policies; delegation is led by Aiyaz Khaiyum!

17/3/2015

3 Comments

The ILO Governing Body is to censure Fiji at its current meeting underway in Geneva. The Attorney-General Aiyaz Khaiyum is leading a team to present Fiji's case. A leaked document prepared by ILO staff reveal their recommendations to ILO Governing Body. If it is endorsed, it will be a blow to Fiji government and a win for the Union movements opposed to Bainimarama-Khaiyum government's labour policies in Fiji; Draft Communique calls for a Commission of Inquiry:

Fijileaks: Read full letter which we had produced in a previous posting below

From Fijileaks Archive, 1 March 2015:

http://www.fijileaks.com/home/ftuc-to-government-stick-to-the-draft-mou-that-was-agreed-with-ilo-during-the-contact-missions-visit-to-fiji-in-october-2014-we-note-that-the-governments-draft-is-major-deviation-from-the-original-draft

3 Comments

Let's Just Hope

17/3/2015 06:57:31 am

The capital/labour dichotomy is common democratic dualism- as in the bi-party system –Labour / Tories – expressed in most Western democracies from UK, Germany most European states, the USA, NZ and Australia (& others). The political parties either represent the ‘workers’ or the employers. In this way, the ‘bread and butter issues, always takes priority over ‘racial’ and other issues.

The trade unionists organize themselves politically with the Labour oriented parties to see that labour laws protect and enhance wage and work based issues. The process of ‘collective bargaining’ empowers the Unions to negotiate –as an equal- with the Employers (and Government –as an important employer and as well as a legislator/facilitator/enforcer of laws). Where is democracy if trade unions are suppressed and essential freedom of association is hampered with??

Whereas the Capital (Businesses), too, organize themselves around ‘conservative’ political parties which promote ‘free market’ economic policies, which likes to see minimum government interferences in the amount/manner by which the Businesses pay their labour and as well as other work conditions.

So in this manner, either the Capital or the Labour party, depending on who won the elections, rules the country with policies (economic, labour, social and political) favorable to own ideologies (liberal/neo-liberal, free market forces /Or protectionist, state-regulated, social welfare economies).

In our present Fiji scenario –the Fiji Theft Party – with its majority big business backers, have obviously opted to the Capitalist policies -but with draconian, anti-labour state laws – to an extent that it can even be called ‘union-bashing’. What democracy has the Khaiyum brought??

The Geneva ILO is not stupid (well let’s hope not) to buy wholesale, bull-shit, from Fiji’s famous IP Thief and AG – Khaiyum.

Roko

17/3/2015 02:06:26 pm

Indeed. The Capital-Labour conflict in Fiji was politicised and ultimately crystallized into the development of political parties along this fissure eg the conservative and pro-Capital Alliance Party of Ratu Mara in the 1970-80's and the socially progressive Fiji Labor Party under Timoci Bavadra.

It is clear that the FijiFirst party under Bainimarama is pro-Capital and anti-Labour. Their Essential Industries Decree tell us this. The appointment of Punja as Fiji High Commisioner in Canberra is another indicator. The Minister of Labour (Jioji Konrote) was an Army officer in 1987 and was loyal like a dog to Rabuka and together with other Army officers at the time like Isoa Tikoca and Ioane Naivalurua et al, put on balaclavas and went out and deposed Timoci Bavadra in the coup of 1987. One can hardly expect Konrote to be a dispassionate participant in all this as he has a history of being anti-Labor.

And

17/3/2015 03:20:58 pm

And I would like to know how a respectable and reputable international body like the ILO can allow a usurper and thug ruler like Aiyaz Khaiyum to appear before it to make any submissions?
The man should be investigated for his role in the Fiji military dictatorship of Frank Bainimarama from 2006 to 2014.

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BLOODY NOSE IN GENEVA?: Leaked ILO Governing Body Draft likely to censure Fiji over labour policies; delegation is led by Aiyaz Khaiyum!

From Fijileaks Archive, 1 March 2015:

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