Federated Airlines Staff Association’s, General Secretary Vilikesa Naulumatua says that the Air Terminal Services workers that had been stood down or suspended from duties without pay on or from 16th December last year are ready to return to work.
Naulumatua says that they are now waiting for ATS to give the staff their new ID cards as their ID cards have expired, and also their new work roster.
He says the workers are from various departments and the proper thing will be for them to know their rosters before they start work.
Meanwhile, Air Terminal Services Management has welcomed the decision of the Employment Tribunal that requires ATS workers who walked off their jobs on 16th December last year to return to work.
In a statement, the ATS Management says as articulated in the decision, ATS does not view this outcome as a win for either party, but more a win for the value of Fijian employment law.
It says that ATS notes that the decision from the Tribunal does not prevent any disciplinary measures from being taken against the workers for abandoning their positions and engaging in an unlawful walkout.
The Statement says that while acknowledging that the decision requires the workers to return to their posts, ATS is seeking further legal advice on certain aspects of the Tribunal decision to consider additional legal steps.
It says that ATS particularly notes that the decision requires that workers resolve all legitimate grievances through good faith bargaining within the existing conflict resolution frameworks, as set out by the Employment Relations Act 2007.
In a statement ATS says it will also be implementing certain security measures to prevent any further economic sabotage from taking place in the workplace to ensure there are no serious disruptions to ATS services and threats to the Fijian economy in the future as this is of particular concern for ATS given the politicization of the situation by some actors.
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