Employment Relations amendment bill passed in parliament

The bill to amend the Employment Relations Promulgation has been passed by parliament.

These amendments have resulted in the ILO mission making a decision that there is no need for a Commission of Inquiry into Fiji.

The opposition parliamentarians in the house opposed the amendments.

The bill was brought to parliament after agreements reached with the Fiji Trades Union Congress and the Fiji Commerce and Employers Federation.

With the passing of the bill, the Employment Relations Promulgation would also apply to all employers including the government, government entities, local authorities and the sugar industry.

The amendment also provides for the registration of the federation of trade unions and federation of employers.

In-house bargaining units have been deleted from the law.

The amended law also provides for freedom of association for all workers in an essential service and industry and provides for adjudication for the trade disputes by the Arbitration Court.

Other amendments include the right for workers in an essential service and industry to form and join an enterprise union.

The notice period for strikes in an essential industry will be reduced from 28 days to 14 days.