Fiji Times, August 12, 2007 Interim Health Minister Doctor Jona
Senilagakali was a disappointed man yesterday, saying nurses were lax
in returning to work after a 16-days on strike. He said in some cases,
it could be a deliberate sabotage on their part to hinder hospital
services. He said nurses had defied a Fiji Nursing Association
directive to report back from 6 AM yesterday. He said a quick tour
revealed some members of the FNA rostered for duty at the main
hospitals failed to show up. ... It

Fiji Broadcasting Corporation, August 11, 2007 The nurses have ended
their national strike - the longest ever by workers in essential
service in Fiji. Their 18-day strike ended at 11 PM last night and they
return to work today after failing to secure the full restoration of
the 5 per cent cut imposed by the interim government. Our reporters on
stand-by at the various hospitals around the country said nurses were
slowly returning to work this morning. ... Fiji

Fiji Times, August 11, 2007 The interim Government managed to save a
substantial amount of money by not paying nurses and teachers who went
on strike, says Public Service Commission chairman Rishi Ram. Mr Ram
said it was the responsibility of individual ministries to keep an
account of how many of its staff were on strike and how much each
ministry was supposed to pay out to each of them. ... Strike

Fiji Times, August 11, 2007 Some nurses were paid on Thursday while
others had their checks with-held by the Health Ministry, says the Fiji
Nursing Association. Association general secretary Kuini Lutua
confirmed this and added that nurses who had their pay held back were
mostly those who worked in the rural communities. ... Public Service
Commission permanent secretary Taina Tagicakibau said there were
legitimate reasons why some nurses were able to receive their pay
because there was a delay in the process to deduct it. ... Nurses

Radio New Zealand International, August 10, 2007 Fiji’s interim
minister for the public service says the Trade Disputes Act must be
reviewed to prevent its abuse by unions. Poseci Bune has made the call
after the Fiji Nurses Association ended its 16-day strike without any
resolution and the Fijian Teachers ended its one-day strike when the
education ministry moved the school holidays forward. He says unions
cannot just go on strike and then call it off a day or two later
without going through any negotiating process. ... Fiji

Fiji Broadcasting Corporation, August 10, 2007 The Fiji nurses strike
in the last 16-days have shown the solidarity that exists within union
members says the Fijian Nursing Associations. Associations general
secretary Kuini Lutua is reported to have said that the executive have
decided to call of their strike as the result of the Interim
Government's failure to address their concern. Lutua said the nurses are
due to resume work early tomorrow morning, because the unions cannot
hold its members beyond 15 days of Industrial actions. Lutua added the
nurses have an idea of what kind of leadership the country has at this
time saying "who can’t address the workers interest during a political
crisis". ... Fiji

Radio Australia, August 10, 2007 Fiji nurses will take legal action
against the interim military government to try and retrieve their five
percent pay cut. Members of the Fiji Nurses Association go back to work
on Saturday, after 17 days on strike. The interim Government has
offered to restore just one percent of pay for nurses and other public
sector union workers with a promise of further negotiations on the
remaining four per cent when the nations finances are healthier.
Association general secretary, Kuini Lutua, says they'll now deal with
their grievances in court. ... Nurses

Fijilive, August 10, 2007 Fiji Nursing Association executive Kuini
Lutua says that many of her members have shown interest in securing
jobs overseas following offers from New Zealand and Australia. She says
that nurses have no other option under the current governent but to
look for greener pastures overseas. "Our voices were never heard by the
interim Government and this leaves us no choice but to slowly look for
jobs elsewhere to support our families," she said. Striking members of
FNA return to work tomorrow after failing to convince the interim
Government to fully restore the 5 per cent civil servants pay cut. ... Nurses

Sera Janine, Fiji Times, August 10, 2007 Striking members of the Fiji
Nursing Association will report to work from 6 AM tomorrow. This
follows the FNA executives decision to withdraw their strike yesterday,
16 days after walking off their jobs. They will now seek legal redress
on the issues of the 5 per cent pay cut and the implementation of the
Partnership Agreement. FNA general secretary Kuini Lutua said fatigue
was one of the main reasons members decided to start work on the
morning shift tomorrow. ... Nurses

Fiji Broadcasting Corporation, August 10, 2007 Fiji's interim Labour
Minister Bernadette Rounds Ganilau is expecting more dialogue on the
concerns raised by nurses in the next couple of weeks. Ganilau said
although the nurses have decided to end their strike the fact remains
that the dispute is still in place. She said more dialogue is expected
in the coming days. “Well I think that there will be further talks, and
I know that’s not what you want to hear, or the general public but
after the actual physical stress that has been undertaken by everyone,
particularly the strikers, I think we will be able to see which way to
go. Copyright © 2007, Fiji Broadcasting Corporation Limited. All Rights
Reserved.

Fiji Broadcasting Corporation, August 10, 2007 Fiji's interim
government is pleased with the decision by nurses to return to their
job but says the dispute remains to be resolved between the two
parties. Interim Labor Minister  Bernadette Rounds Ganilau said
she was glad the nurses have decided returned to work. However she adds
the dispute remains and the issue needs to be resolved before there is
a possibility of another standoff. ... Dispute

Fijivillage, August 10, 2007 The interim government's decision not to
go to compulsory arbitration can only apply when contingency plans
don't work. That was the statement from the Minister of Public Service
and Public Enterprises Poseci Bune in light of the decision of the
1,200 striking nurses who called off their strike yesterday. Bune said
the nurses could have continued until the end of the year because the
contingency plans implemented by the Health Ministry were working very
well. He adds that the decision by the interim government to go to
arbitration can only apply when all else has failed. © 2007
FijiVillage.com | All rights reserved

Fijilive, August 10, 2007 Civil servants may face further pay cuts
under the interim Government given the current economic situation the
country is facing, said interim Public Service Minister Poseci Bune.
"It is inevitable," said Bune. And he said that the interim Government
"cannot sustain the cost of civil service strikes occurring again".
Bune's comments come as four public sector unions end their strike over
cost-cutting measures imposed by the interim Government. ... Further

Fijivillage, August 10, 2007 The Trade Disputes Act must be reviewed to
ensure it is not abused by trade unions. These are the words of Interim
Public Service Poseci Bune following the calling off of the Fiji
Nursing Association strike yesterday. In a statement, Bune also said
that he believes that if you issue a strike notice and you call on your
members to go on strike, you cannot after one or two days, call off the
strike without sitting down to negotiate an agreement. ... Bune

Fijivillage, August 10, 2007 The Interim Minister of Public Service,
Poseci Bune has revealed that nurses could lose out substantially on
the Interim Government's offer of 60 new junior sister posts with a 12
percent pay increase. Bune made the statement after being verbally
advised that the 1,200 striking nurses of the Fiji Nursing Association
have called off their nation-wide strike effective from tomorrow. ... Bune