Police Commissioner clears the air on public sector union executives

Police Commissioner Sitiveni Qiliho stresses that public sector union executives do not have to worry about anything if they have not breached the laws of this country.

Qiliho has made this clear after the Fiji Public Service Association wrote a letter of complaint to Public Services International Oceania Office in Australia to act after alleged harassment of two of the union officials.

Qiliho says some people were questioned in regards to alleged breaches of the law.

The Police Commissioner says the questioning has concluded before further decisions are made.

Qiliho says the union executives need to understand that this is not harassment as Police are only doing their job.

He says people would also complain if the Police do not act.

In his letter to Public Services International, FPSA General Secretary Rajeshwar Singh said that the time has come for the international trade union movement, together with ILO, international human rights bodies, Amnesty International and others to raise their concerns on the current policy stance taken by the Fijian government.

Singh says that on Thursday 5th October, two of FPSA’s executives were interviewed by Police and emails and newsletters were confiscated.

He also says one of the executives was warned not to talk to a union organiser.

He further says in the letter that the international body maybe already aware of the Fijian government’s agenda of completely destroying the public sector unions and the trade unions generally in the country.

Meanwhile, the National Federation Party says it will alert the United Nations Human Rights Council if officers of the Fiji Police Force do not stop harassment and intimidation of executives of Public Sector Unions following their decision to hold a secret ballot to seek mandate for strike action following Government’s action to put civil servants on contracted employment.

NFP Leader Professor Biman Prasad says the questioning by police is harassment and intimidation of union executives.

Prasad says Fiji is not a Police State and such actions do not augur well for Fiji’s bid to become a member of UN Human Rights Council.