And FLP leader Mahendra Chaudhry joins FTUC rally, a reminder of the vanished past, when these trade unionists took Rabuka head-on in 1987. If only the two - Anthony and Chaudhry - had not rushed and joined the Bainimarama coup, who knows what the fate of Fiji would have been, for historically it was the trade union movement that had become the voice of the silent majority after the coups - cutting across race, religion, ethnicity and class in Fiji. The SODELPA and NFP leaders, Sitiveni Rabuka and Biman Prasad, were conspicuously absent from the crowd. In any case, Rabuka is the last person these unionists must be seen with, for it was he who began the emasculation of trade unionism in Fiji
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Khaiyum: Political losers (Anthony, Chaudhry et al trying to revive their political careers, "If there was a huge outcry from workers, there would have been thousands on the streets"
Fijileaks: How could thousands be on the street when
Police permit limited the numbers to 5000 marchers?
ATTORNEY-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum took a swipe at politicians who were part of the Fiji Trades Union Congress (FTUC) march in Suva yesterday.
Fiji Labour Party (FLP) leader and Mahendra Chaudhry, People's Democratic Party (PDP) leader Lynda Tabuya, Fiji United Freedom Party (FUFP) leader Jagath Karunaratne and unionist Felix Anthony were all part of the march.
Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said these people were trying to revive their political career.
"Felix, Mahendra Chaudhry and Lynda Tabuya, these people are now trying to resuscitate their political careers. They have been in political oblivion, that's the point," Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said.
"These people do not even make the five per cent. They are using the workers, the few hundreds of workers that turned up today (yesterday) on their backs to again launch their political careers, it has nothing to do with the workers."
Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said if there was a huge outcry from workers, there would have been thousands on the streets.
Fiji Labour Party (FLP) leader and Mahendra Chaudhry, People's Democratic Party (PDP) leader Lynda Tabuya, Fiji United Freedom Party (FUFP) leader Jagath Karunaratne and unionist Felix Anthony were all part of the march.
Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said these people were trying to revive their political career.
"Felix, Mahendra Chaudhry and Lynda Tabuya, these people are now trying to resuscitate their political careers. They have been in political oblivion, that's the point," Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said.
"These people do not even make the five per cent. They are using the workers, the few hundreds of workers that turned up today (yesterday) on their backs to again launch their political careers, it has nothing to do with the workers."
Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said if there was a huge outcry from workers, there would have been thousands on the streets.
Aiyaz Khaiyum: These people do not even make the five per cent [of the threshold I set in my Political Parties Decree in the 2014 general election]
Fijileaks: Excuse us, they got more VOTES compared to Fijileaks hacker and Government Whip Ashneel Sudhakar, and other FFP MPs and Cabinet Ministers who entered Parliament clinging to the sulu of Bainimarama under the D'Hondt Electoral System
From Fijileaks Archive, 2014
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From The Fiji Times, 22 October 2017
MEMBERS of the Fiji Trades Unions Congress took to the streets in their hundreds yesterday in a protest march demanding the restoration of their rights.
Cheers erupted from the large crowd gathered at Ratu Sukuna Park, in Suva when FTUC national secretary Felix Anthony spoke on the five issues union members and unionists had been tirelessly fighting for.
Mr Anthony said the five main reasons behind the march were collective bargaining/individual contracts of civil servants, right to secret ballot/right to strike, minimum wages, review of labour laws in the country and public holiday pay for workers under the Wages Council.
Mr Anthony said the individual contracts "imposed" on civil servants and workers in Government owned entities must be removed and the collective bargaining process returned.
He said the FTUC, Government and the Fiji Commerce and Employers Federation had signed an agreement that workers' rights in this country would be respected.
"We want the Government to respect that agreement, to respect what they signed with us, the word they have given to the International Labour Organisation that they will respect collective bargaining," Mr Anthony said.
"Collective bargaining is a critical part of the Employment Relations Act, a legislation that this Government must respect. Collective bargaining is an integral part of the Bill of Rights in our Constitution, Section 20."
MEMBERS of the Fiji Trades Unions Congress took to the streets in their hundreds yesterday in a protest march demanding the restoration of their rights.
Cheers erupted from the large crowd gathered at Ratu Sukuna Park, in Suva when FTUC national secretary Felix Anthony spoke on the five issues union members and unionists had been tirelessly fighting for.
Mr Anthony said the five main reasons behind the march were collective bargaining/individual contracts of civil servants, right to secret ballot/right to strike, minimum wages, review of labour laws in the country and public holiday pay for workers under the Wages Council.
Mr Anthony said the individual contracts "imposed" on civil servants and workers in Government owned entities must be removed and the collective bargaining process returned.
He said the FTUC, Government and the Fiji Commerce and Employers Federation had signed an agreement that workers' rights in this country would be respected.
"We want the Government to respect that agreement, to respect what they signed with us, the word they have given to the International Labour Organisation that they will respect collective bargaining," Mr Anthony said.
"Collective bargaining is a critical part of the Employment Relations Act, a legislation that this Government must respect. Collective bargaining is an integral part of the Bill of Rights in our Constitution, Section 20."
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