It would be encouraging if Fiji reconsiders the Public Order Act.
This was the message from International Labour Organization (ILO) director Pacific Colin Fenwick during the inaugural meet of the Employment Relations Advisory Board (ERAB) in Suva on Tuesday.
He said the ILO stood ready to assist in any way it could to ensure the rights and freedoms of workers across the country were protected.
“So the roadmap here is not an ILO roadmap.
It’s a Fijian roadmap. But you know where to go,” he said.
“We are here to talk to you with it. In a broader world and going beyond your portfolio responsibilities, Honourable Minister, I would say that it would be very encouraging if Fiji were in a position to reconsider the Public Order Act. These pose challenges for the application of our Convention 87 on freedom of association.”
Mr Fenwick said ILO was ready to engage with partners and offer assistance in this regard.
Fiji Trades Union Congress (FTUC) national secretary Felix Anthony echoed similar sentiments.
“The Public Order Act has not only denied workers but every citizen of this country their basic human rights and that is not even consistent with the Constitution of this country,” he said.
“So yes, that’s important and that’s also part of the ILO experts report that certain areas of that Public Order Act needs to be revisited and amended to ensure rights.”
