Nursing Association says they will follow the law

The President of the Fiji Nursing Association Alisi Vudiniabola is today reassuring the people of Fiji that the FNA takes their responsibility to the nation and to its members seriously and would not act or encourage their members to act outside of the law.

She says that the association’s Vice President Miliakere Nasorovakawalu was only urging for a peaceful resolution and dialogue during the recent public sector unions rally.

Vudiniabola said that a Fijivillage report had painted nurses as extremist and inciting disobedience of the law and industrial relations dispute resolution processes.

Vudiniabola has now said that Nasorovakawalu was advocating a public petition to be presented to the people of Fiji, as a means of facilitating dialogue with the people of Fiji and the government on the issue of individual contracts and the civil service reforms.

They are now saying that the issue was taken out of context and Fijivillage is making nurses look like extremists.

The Nursing Association says there are currently 1,300 members of the FNA, 43% of the 3,000 Government nursing establishment. 

It says Nasorovakawalu was simply expressing her view that with only 1,300 members in the FNA who could legally go on strike, it was futile to even consider industrial action.

They say that they have attended meetings with the Minister for Economy and the Civil Service Reform management Unit over the last few years on the issue of civil service reforms and they remain open to support any improvements and changes that would directly benefit nurses working conditions as well as their service to the people.

Fijivillage had reported from the rally that the Vice President of the Fiji Nursing Association Miliakere Nasorovakawalu said that she wants 2,500 nurses to walk out of their jobs and then she will be willing to go to prison if the strike is declared illegal.

She told the union rally at the FTA Hall in Suva that she is willing to go to jail only if they get the mandate and more than 2,000 nurses walk out of the hospitals and other health facilities.

We had also reported that she also proposed that they should also get an open petition to get the sympathy of the public.

Under the law, the strike can only be legal after the negotiation process ends in a deadlock and the unions get a legitimate strike ballot where more than 50% of the members agree to go on strike.