Fiji: protest at repression and harassment of trade unions

The TUC has joined a global trade union campaign – bcked by Amnesty International – to protest at the attack on human and trade union rights in Fiji. Please join the protest online or outside the Fijian High Commission in London on Thursday 1 September at 4pm.

The Fijian trade union movement has borne the brunt of beatings, arrests and restrictions since the military dictatorship took power in 2006, along with bodies like the Methodist Church and NGOs. But the situation has recently got much worse, as the regime responds to increasing radicalism from unions, and the continuing decline of the economy. Public sector unionism has been made all but impossible, and a new decree will allow the Government to ban strikes and collective bargaining in any economic sectors it deems 'essential'. That probably means sugar farming and tourism.

Unions and other civil society groups are required to seek permission to hold meetings, but recently the Government has refused to give such permission to unions – they even banned a meeting of the Fiji TUC while a senior ILO delegation was in Fiji.

On 2 September, FTUC President Daniel Urai and a union colleague will face trial simply for meeting with union members in the tourism industry.

By demonstrating on 1 September, we will be sending a message to the dictatorship which has got Fiji suspended from the Commonwealth and the Pacific Islands Forum. We want the dictatorship to wake up on 2 September aware that the world is watching.

Protest at Fiji's military, who are denying freedom of assembly, freedom of association and freedom to bargain collectively. Free Fiji.

Owen Tudor