Nand warns ministry on draft Bill

Independent MP, Joseph Nand, has warned that employers may be forced to lay off staff or reduce working hours due to the Ministry of Employment's failure to consider employer feedback on the Employment Relations Bill, which is expected to be tabled for review this year. Nand’s comments follow a statement by Fiji Commerce and Employers Federation (FCEF) CEO, Edward Bernard, who stated that the draft bill is unfair to employers in terms of labor law penalties, anticipated increases in the cost of doing business, and the impact on employment and businesses.

Nand stated that the intention of the amendments is to provide a special platform for workers, not to add extra burdens on employers. He also added that the timing of the consultations suggests the Ministry did not acknowledge stakeholder input in handling the review. "The statements by the Fiji Commerce and Employers Federation CEO clearly shows the way the labor law amendments were handled," said Nand. "It is surprising that the timing of the consultations has raised concerns, indicating a failure by the Ministry to ensure consultations were properly planned and executed."

Nand said that the Ministry must take responsibility for failing to obtain quality feedback and input during the consultation phase due to the timing issues. "The Ministry must provide an update on this as the amendments will not only affect the workers, but also the employers, and any negative impacts will in some way affect both parties. We cannot use consultation as a guise to rush amendments to such an important piece of legislation."

Nand stated that under the proposed draft, employers will be forced to take other alternatives such as reduced working hours and redundancies. "In doing so, the ultimate victims will again be the workers if businesses are unable to function well, unable to achieve and contribute to economic growth. It has been seen before, and the same thing might happen again, where employers, if they feel under immense pressure, might take options such as redundancies or reduced hours."