Fiji: End military intimidation and beatings of union officials

Solidarity with Fijian trade unionists

Stop military intimidation of union officials

March 2011

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber has protested to the Fiji high commissioner about the intimidation and physical attacks against Felix Anthony, General Secretary of the Fiji Trade Union Congress (FTUC) and against other officials from FTUC affiliates.

Mr Anthony is also General Secretary of the Sugar Workers' Union which is affiliated to the ITF and the IUF. On 12 February, Anthony was taken from his home by 3 uniformed military officers and subjected to threats whilst being driven around the back roads of Lautoka for some 2 hours. His family, including his children, were also threatened.

On 18 February, Anthony and other union officials from the sugar industry were called to meet the Fijian Prime Minister at a sugar mill in Ba, on the western side of Fiji. The union representatives were subsequently assaulted by military officers while still at the mill, then taken to Namaka military barracks and subjected to further beatings. As they were released from the barracks, they were again threatened with further violence.

The ITUC and Global Union Federations IUF and ITF have protested strongly.

'We have asked the International Labour Organisation to intervene with the Fiji authorities, and will be monitoring the situation very closely. This kind of behaviour from the Fiji regime is totally unacceptable, and is a serious violation of fundamental trade union rights' said ITUC General Secretary Sharan Burrow. Further details at http://www.ituc-csi.org/fiji-military-intimidation-and.html

For more information and background about trade union rights violations in Fiji see ITUC Annual Survey Fiji - Annual Survey of violations of trade union rights 2010 - ITUC