Fijivillage, August 6, 2007 The Fiji Nursing Association said their
strike is no longer just about the restoration of the five percent pay
cut and their members are ready to hand in their resignations as their
strike enters its 13th day today. FNA General Secretary Kuini Lutua
told Village News that striking nurses have been informed that they are
being forced into taking only 1 percent which they simply will not
accept. Permanent Secretary for Public Service Taina Tagicakibau said
the FNA keeps changing its tune after every discussion held. Meanwhile,
the FNA and the PSC are expected to meet again today to discuss these
issues and try to end the nurse’s strike. © 2007 FijiVillage.com | All
rights reserved

Fiji Broadcasting Corporation, August 6, 2007 Fiji Nursing Association
General Secretary Kuini Lutua has denied that they have reached an
agreement with Government and that nurses will be back at work today.
Lutua said that they were surprised by a press release from the
Ministry of Information which states that the 11 day nurses strike had
come to an end. The ministry release quotes the Interim Minister for
Health, Dr Jona Senilagakali confirming that the strike had come to an
end. The Department of Information reports Dr Jona saying he expects
all the nurses to return to work today. Copyright © 2007, Fiji
Broadcasting Corporation Limited. All Rights Reserved.

Fiji Times, August 6, 2007 The public health system operated with
skeleton staff and only provided emergency services yesterday as
majority of the nurses remained on strike. This was despite claims by
Public Service Commission permanent secretary Taina Tagicakibau that
the Fiji Nursing Association had accepted the 1 per cent restoration of
their pay and were ready to call off their strike. Association general
secretary Kuini Lutua said this was a lie. "They should tell the nation
the truth that they need the nurses back because they can no longer
cope," she said. "Why are they lying to the country?" ... Nurses

Fiji Broadcasting Corporation, August 6, 2007 The Bua Landowners
Association has called on striking unions to adhere to calls by the
Interim Prime Minister Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama for workers to
return to work. Association President Tevita Raiyawa said that that
workers on strike must know the difference between a democratically
elected government and an Interim one. He added that an elected
government will surely solve the impasse, but an interim government has
a different mandate. Raiyawa has urged striking unions to work with the
interim government, in order for early elections. Copyright © 2007,
Fiji Broadcasting Corporation Limited. All Rights Reserved.

Fiji Broadcasting Corporation, August 6, 2007 Deposed Prime Minister
Laisenia Qarase has refuted claims by Interim Prime Minister Commodore
Voreqe Bainimarama that the SDL is behind the current union strikes.
Qarase said that the claims by Bainimarama are baseless and not true.
"There is absolutely no truth in that claim, as far as I know and as
far as I am aware there’s never been any discussion between the SDL
party its management and any or all of the trade unions that are
currently on strike, I can state that." Qarase adds that Commodore
Bainimarama should show the public evidence on claims that SDL is
behind the strikes. Copyright © 2007, Fiji Broadcasting Corporation
Limited. All Rights Reserved.

Radio New Zealand International, August 5, 2007 The General Secretary
of the striking Fiji Nursing Association, Kuini Lutua, has rejected
claims by the Public Service Commission that an agreement has been
reached. Ms Lutua told the Fiji Times the statement by PSC was
misleading as nothing had been finalised. She said Ministry of Health
vehicles had showed up at nurses’ residences to transport them to work,
believing the strike had ended. The nurses have now been taking
industrial action for nearly two weeks. © Radio New Zealand
International

Fiji Broadcasting Corporation, August 5, 2007 Interim Prime Minister
Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama says salaries deducted from striking
nurses will be given to pay for those working overtime in hospitals and
health centers around the country. Commodore Bainimarama has directed
Health Minister Dr Jona Senilagakali to use striking nurses’ salaries
to pay off those still at work. Commodore Bainimarama says that retired
nurses who have come in to assist overtime workers and those doing 12
hour shifts will be paid from striking nurses’ salaries. He adds that
the nurses cannot be paid while on strike because their salaries has
been used up by those who are mending (sic) the hospitals. ... Salaries

Fiji Times, August 5, 2007 The interim Government has no intention of
giving in to the nurses' strike, says interim Prime Minister Commander
Voreqe Bainimarama. Commander Bainimarama said in the end it will be
the nurses that will lose out. He has made it clear that overtime work
done by nurses and retired nurses during the Fiji Nursing Association
industrial action, which is into is 12th day, will be paid for from the
salaries of striking nurses, and he has informed interim Health
Minister, Dr Jona Senilagakali, of his decision. The interim prime
minister also said striking nurses are free to leave Fiji for jobs
overseas, according to a local radio report. He has urged the nurses
though to go to the interim Public Service and Public Sector Reform

Fiji Times, August 5, 2007 Nurses may be forced to accept the one per
cent pay restoration and return to work in the days ahead amid fears
that if their grievances are addressed by the permanent arbitrator, the
outcome may not be met by the interim Government. Fiji Nursing
Association general secretary Kuini Lutua said an agreement between
them and the Public Service Commission yesterday was still in limbo as
the search for interim Public Service Minister Poseci Bune had been
unsuccessful. Mr Bune and his permanent secretary Taina Tagicakibau
could not be reached for comment last night. ... Stalemate

Fijivillage, Augist 4, 2007 The Fiji Nursing Association has stressed
that its members will not return to work and has brushed aside claims
by the Public Service Commission that a resolution is in sight. FNA
General Secretary Kuini Lutua told Legend FM news this afternoon that
their stance on the 5 percent pay restoration stands and they have
informed their members to stay away from work after misleading reports
that an agreement had been reached. Lutua maintains that they are not
going to agree to anything as at this point in time and continue with
their strike. Permanent Secretary for Public Service, Taina Tagicakibau
said after meeting the FNA yesterday that they have made further
progress and the nurses now understand the interim government's stand

Fiji Times, August 4, 2007 Striking nurses could return to work as
early as tonight after talks between the nurses' association executives
and the Public Service Commission ended on a positive note this
afternoon. PSC permanent secretary, Taina Tagicakibau, said on
television the nurses had accepted the one per cent restoration of the
pay cut, to be restored in December, among other agreements. The
decision to end the strike will depend on the agreements reached to be
put in writing. Fiji Nursing Association general secretary, Kuini
Lutua, described the talks as positive. Copyright © 2007, Fiji Times
Limited. All Rights Reserved.

Fijilive, August 4, 2007 Fiji's striking nurses are expected to return
to work tonight if the Public Service Commission accepts their new
conditions put forward today. The Fiji Nursing Association general
secretary Kuini Lutua says they are expecting a formal agreement to be
signed by the PSC tonight. "It is looking good," Lutua said. PSC
permanent secretary Taina Tagicakibau agrees that talks had been
positive. She suggested that the nurses had accepted the 1 per cent pay
restoration by December and that other requests are to be met within
Government's existing budget. ... Nurses

AAP, August 3, 2007 Holidaymakers bound for Fiji have been warned to
expect disruptions stemming from strike by 10,000 public service
workers. The Fijian workers are demanding full restoration of their
recent five per cent civil service pay cut, among other requests. But
interim Prime Minister Commodore Frank Bainimarama says the government
will not cave in to the unions. The strike began at 8 AM today,
compounding an eight day strike already undertaken by the 4,000 members
of the Fiji Nursing Association. ... Travellers

Fiji Times, August 4, 2007 The International Council of Nurses says it
is concerned about the impasse between the interim Government and the
Fiji Nursing Association. In a letter to interim Minister for Health,
Doctor Jona Senilagakali on Thursday, ICN director for the
International Centre for Human Resources in Nursing, Doctor Mireille
Kingma said the international nursing community was concerned by the
crisis in Fiji. "It is deeply regretted that attempts to negotiate a
solution to the labour unrest in Fiji have been unsuccessful so far,"
Dr Kingma said. "Having given notice of the FNA strike action, it is
unfortunate that FNA claims were not referred to the permanent
arbitrator as required by current national legislation," said Dr

Fiji Times, August 4, 2007 Workers have the right to air their
grievances and take strike action, even if they have a political
agenda, says an academic. University of Fiji economist Doctor Chandra
Dulare said workers on strike should not be penalised for that freedom
of expression. He said the interim Government should not use the
impasse as an excuse to sack people in an attempt to downsize the civil
service, even if for some unlikely reason the strike was declared
illegal. Dr Dulare said it was difficult to quantify the effect of the
strikes. "What is definite is that there will be a negative effect on
all sectors that rely directly and indirectly on the health and
education sectors," he said. ... Economist