Stopping Australians from coming to Fiji will affect jobs - AG

Publish date/time: 20/09/2012 [17:09]

The Attorney General and Minister for Industry and Trade said that the Australian Council of Trade Unions is again trying to damage the jobs of ordinary Fijian workers by calling on Australians not to visit Fiji.

Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum said that the Council is doing so on the basis of a false impression that the Fijian Government is antiunion.

He added the government is trying to protect the jobs of its citizens, not destroy them.

His comment comes after the president of the Australian Council of Trade Unions, Ged Kearney told Radio Australia that she would be telling all Australians considering going to Fiji to reconsider that decision.

Kearney said that she was absolutely outraged and called on the Australian Government to condemn the decision by the Fijian government to expel the ILO.

However, Sayed-Khaiyum said that the Government is perplexed that trade unions seem willing for their own political purposes to sacrifice the jobs of decent, hard working people in Fiji.

He said that Australians need to be aware that the jobs of thousands of workers in the local tourism industry are at stake.

Sayed-Khaiyum said that a small clique of union leaders in Fiji are fighting the Government’s labour reforms, which are designed to return power to ordinary workers and expand job opportunities.

Story by: Sneh Chaudhry