Threats by Australia's Transport Workers Union in support of Fiji trade unionists and workers (as revealed by Coupfourpointfive yesterday) could hit Fiji hard. The New Zealand Council of Trade Union is now also discussing the Australian action. Here are the latest updates on the TWU action from Newstalk ZB in New Zealand and the AAP.
Flights in and out of Fiji these school holidays could be hit by industrial action. The Australian Transport Workers Union is threatening the action over the alleged beating of union officials, and the introduction of decrees removing rights of workers. Union national secretary Tony Sheldon (pictured above) says it will involve members who refuel aircraft, caterers, cleaners and baggage and ramp handlers. He says if threats, and the terrorism of work place leaders, continues, then direct industrial action will be taken in support of their Fijian colleagues.
"If Qantas, Air Pacific and it's interests do not proclaim support for a Fijian workforce, then we will take direct action against Qantas, Air Pacific and people flying in and out of Fiji," he told Newstalk ZB. Mr Sheldon says they are not going to stand by and see their pacific neighbours terrorised by their own military regime.
NZ Council of Trade Unions secretary Peter Conway says they'll discus the siutation with a Fiji union delegation in Auckland today. "I've certainly met with them in New Zealand to discuss this issue and they're quite aware of the situation," he told Newstalk ZB. "But it's not about us making threats at this stage, it's about sitting down and carefully working through the options."
Mr Conway says the CTU has warned commercial interests in New Zealand that the Fiji situation is inevitably going to spill over onto the broader public arena and could affect New Zealand's trading relations, including air and sea travel. (By Sam Thompson for Newstalk ZB)
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| BAGGAGE HANDLERS AFFECTED |
25 comments:
Long over due. Would have stop these dickheads nonsense yers back. Just do it.
Sa Rauta Mada!
Thank you Trade Unions of Australia and New Zealand for your solidarity WITH your colleagues in Fiji and also for standing together with the citizens of Fiji fighting for their welfare and rights.
We thank you thank you and may i say that you may be our only hope together with your Governments' efforts to release us from military dictatorship.
The illegal regime in Fiji understands only force and violence, and that has been its modus operandii in Fiji in suppressing disenting voices.
Please persist with us until we topple the illegal dictator and self appointed PM.
Good but 4 years too late.
The ACTU should also put pressure on P & O cruises to stop visiting Fijian ports.
If the ships were not refueled or loaded in Brisbane or Sydney, then P&O would soon find other ports in Samoa or Tonga to visit.
Felix has lost the plot after selling them for a pound of sugar (not gold).
Felix is for Me, myself and I.
If fijians will support these people, it is like supporting FLP.
Think wisely
Now your talking my language !
Next we need to shut down tourism altogether, then the shipping ports.
Ban exports to Fiji plus Ban the Fiji Rugby team to NZ. Hit Fiji where it hurts. Show no mercy.
Ban fiji from everything and let FLP run the Govt with RUM and others as their puppet.
Makes me laugh at we fijian and our own stupidity
@ anon 5:13pm
spot on! I couldn't agree more! Hit Fiji hard so that the people can wake the f up!
@ Anon 4:10pm
I for one will surely support Felix Anthony and the other Union reps from Fiji.
I just don't understand how some ppl think. What I know is that we are made differently and different mindset. But when it comes to think of a way out of a bad situation, some ppl dont agree to come out from that terrible situation but chose to get stuck and groan...
I am indebted to these few brave men to stand up for the people they represent and for the ppl of Fiji as a whole.
I take my hat off to you guys. For those of you who dont agree with the stance that they have taken, too bad, we have to start somewhere to allow us to regain what we rightfully deserve..that is freedom on Our God given country. To the soldiers who are given special orders to carry out tis S&G tasks. Think twice about the repercussions of your actions if you are going to be part of the group that is going to carry out an Illegal ORDER from an Illegal Commander.
Remember guys, your Commander is doing everything to save his own skin. To save himself from going to jail. And think about it. If you are going to execute this Illegal order and then the pers being arrested knows you. Looking at the worst case scenario,,if he is brutallised and badly injured. And then later the regime falls and investigations on the activities during their reign is done and your name comes up. Later you are found guilty and go to jail for carrying out an illegal order. You are at a loss then aren't you. What about your families if you are married. Are you going to ask your commander to set you free when he is in jail himself.
So my advice to you senior officers, it is time to put your heads together and tell your commander to step down.
I think the best time is now before the Aus Unions begin to carry out their sanctions...The onus is in your hands now senior Officers. You need to think more of the repercussions when the sanctions begins....which means more hardship on the economy when the flights are disrupted.
It is Good if FB suffers than the whole innocent Nation of Fiji to suffer.
Tell him to step down. He doesn't need to be asked.
he will go to jail with all his supporters..AG, Solicitor general, Shameem and others...
Thumbs Up To Democracy!!!!
Good Work Anthony! Way too late to be doing this but nothing else is happening so this options is better than nothing. The sooner Cranky Franky pisses off the better.
Mission 1- COLEECTIVELY!!...Get rid of Cranky Franky and his military goons along with pink tie, Bulldog-eyes of -Ay-arse Kulfu=kyum
Mission 2- Conduct elections.
Mission 3- Get rid or minimise the Military structure, along with weapons...they can be part of the Fiji Police Force and Prison, or empowering these men/women by profiling them and put them in their fields..in ministries etc...or organisations that need man power to do capital projects around the country and then
Mission 4-Get ALL the COUP APOLOGISTS to answers for their crime...from Roko Ului, to Felix the Cat and Con man Daniel URai.... the freegan whole bunch of them must answer to how they blerry put our fellowmen in fear and near bankruptcy!
Thank you very very much Mr Felix Anthony for standing up for the workers and the people of FIJI.
All the other people have just been talking about this and that but for once you and your union mates have shaken the grounds that the Dictatorship walk on.
For once, the campaign that you, Dan Urai and Rajeshwar Singh have led is sending shock waves in QEB and the PM's Office.
We look forward to a Democratic Fiji soon.
@ Anon 7:30pm
Mission 5.....MISSION IMPOSSIBLE....if we the people on the ground in Fiji do not do anything....
International sanctions are required to cripple the junta and its dictator, whose scams have bankrupted fiji anyway.
Those who say the poor will be affected, it will be short term pain for long term gain which is democracy, rule of law, equality, justice, human rights, arrest and trial of the many scams committed by the junta.
Its a peoples and worker revolution in Fiji now and the junta is a gang of 11 thugs doing scams coming out of the QEB into government offices.
A Governemnt in exile is needed too and all goods to and from fiji must not be loaded and unloaded, it will be one week the junta and dictator will be arrested and put behind bars.
To the threat of arrest and torture of union officals, bring it on, who is the dictator who runs the cassava patch and gadaffi of pacfic, a pacific solution of sanctions is needed to get rid of the corrupt dictator who is doing massive scams and bankrupting fiji.
PER, threats and arrests will not work anymore, enough and enough and dictator better know that he is dealing with women he been bashing at QEB but the 800000 population of fiji who will get freedom from dictatorship.
Thumps up for democracy.
Short term pain vs long term gain: pls look at Burma, cuba and others and it will be decades of suffering for the poor. The elites will not feel a pinch.
Dictator’s toads should be arresting the criminals in the illegal Junta. But the cowards in the military and police only like intimidating and arresting little old ladies and little old men. Shame on all those corrupt Servants that carry out the evil orders of the illegal Junta.
@ Semi Meo
If how the brotherhood will fight would be another calamity imposed against your REAR admiral FB, so be it. At least it could turned out to be SOMETHING contrary to your NOTHING. If the whole sea & air are embargoed, total darkness all over cos Monasavu comes to a complete halt, our breakfast is tasteless because no bell-can re-fill, so be it.
What is your better solution? Stop it!! You have NOTHING.
Time for action man. The people are just itching to rise up and resist piggy but someone's got to start it. time for these trade unionists to do something instead of just barking like they have been doing all their lives ie ura, anthony etc
All you losers talking from offshore, come home and smell the roses. While you enjoying your cornflakes and wheet bix and kissing a..e to your kai valagi bosses, ordinary people in this country will be suffering because of this ill-thought, selfish action. Drau yavu boci kece!!!
@ felix,dan and co,would you please inform the trade union members of australia to share their pay packets with union workers of fiji when they take that stance..because i will be out of work for how long and (who knowns)my kids will have no lunch money while you enjoy your 5 course meal in ozzie and while you crusing on those posh cars, bai and qaium on their 4wd,my family and I will be on our foot to places.
People want fredom and no sacrifice.... you wooried about food when in the long run there might be none why not struggle a bit now and make a better future for your kids.
@ Anon 1034am...
You know what baraca..we might be away from Fiji..but we have Fiji in our Hearts.
It hurts to see a very Fijian native, if he really is, is doing what we never thought one would do to his own ppl happen in Fiji.
You can only smell roses in Fiji if you can afford it like you. And when you refer to the food that we eat as a point of argument, that sounds cheap and childish as well. I can send you a box full of cereal and snacks from teh US if you want to.
But you have gone astray from the very issue which has bothered us. We looked at what is happening n Fiji from a Global perspective. You may be looking at it from a Fijian perspective living in Fiji and doing well cos I see that you have access to computer.
You cant see how low your illegal PM has gone to strip of your rights.
Let me ask you a question. Do you think you have any rights of Speech and expression? Can you openly criticize the illegal regime??? I know that you will have to think twice in answering thoose two questions.
As for us who are living abroad, we are supporting our families and relatives in Fiji because of the repercussions of what Bainimarama has done. We work hard too my friend. And do bear in mind that we are the 3rd biggest revenue earner for the country through the remittance that we send back home to our families and relatives.
We are not loosers my friend. You are baraca. We know that we are winners because we are fighting the same fight that the very ppl who are living next to you are fighting silently.
You may be saying that we are living a good life abroad,but, I for one am fighting for my beloved Fiji's return to Democracy so that the ppl can enjoy better life that what you assumed you are living out now. There are better things to achieve. If you are happy with what you have now, try and look to the ppl living next door to you. Are they happy too. Can they express their objection with some of the things that this illegal regime is doing.
I dont think so.
So my friend for us abroad, we are not doing this for our own benefit. We ar edoing this for the benefit of Fiji as a whole.
thumbs Up To Democracy!!!!
@mafi
Baraca, walk the talk. Come back here and suffer with us if you got the balls that is???
@ Anon 3:00pm...
Baraca I am fighting the fight from here and I know that we will achieve it. With the Power of technology, we can fight and win the battle.
You dont understand what I am saying dude...
For all freedom fighters..lets continue to encourage each others thru info and most of all Prayers...
Thumbs Up To Democracy!!!!!
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