Fiji: Ten thousand civil servants go on strike; union leaders threatened

Fiji: Ten thousand civil servants go on strike; union leaders threatened

On Thursday, over ten thousand civil servants went on strike in Fiji, joining the 1200 nurses already on strike.  They are protesting a 5% pay cut, the raising of retirement age, and the cancellation of an agreement made last year with the Quarese government.  This strike included teachers until Friday morning, when, in a move that surprised the other striking unions, they decided to return to work.  The government will dock the returning teachers two weeks worth of pay in retaliation.

Lead members of other striking unions have recieved death threats from the military, according to the account of Taniela Tabu.  Tabu is the general secretary of the Viti National Union of Taukei Workers.  He was taken from his home to the military barracks at 6am on Wednesday morning, was forced to strip, and was beaten.  Tabu was then informed that if he or the other union leaders were summoned to the barracks again, they would be killed.  Around 3pm. he was told that the allegations against him were that he had discredited the government in a public statement he had made on television the previous evening.  He was detained until late in the evening on Wednesday.

Tabu told Radio New Zealand International, “I want to just inform the United Nations, inform international union organizations and various embassies in Fiji: you know to take note of this in case one of us is killed or murdered.”

Interim Prime Minister Commodore Frank Bainimarama said that the strikes are a political ploy and that the interim government will not move from its current stance.  He is confident that government services will continue through the strike.

The Fiji Teachers Association president, Tevita Koroi, said that the union actions are legal because they are following the Trade Disputes Act.  This Act requires the Minister for Labour to call for compulsory arbitration to end the issue.  However, Bainimarama has instructed the interim Minister for Labour, Bernadette Rounds-Ganilau, to not order compulsory arbitration to end the strikes.

Please see also:
“Fiji labor leader arrested on eve of strike”  Pacific Magazine (01 August 2007)
“At least 10,000 Fiji public sector workers to strike from today”  Radio New Zealand International (01 August 2007)
“Fiji trade unionist fears for his safety”  Radio New Zealand International (01 August 2007)
“Strikes are political — says Fiji’s interim PM”  Radio New Zealand International (01 August 2007)
” ‘Death threats will not deter me’ ”  Fiji Times (02 August 2007)
“Teachers call off strike”  Fiji Times (03 August 2007)
“No pay for returning teachers”  Fiji Times (03 August 2007)
“PEU unaware of teachers’ move”  Fiji Times (03 August 2007)
“Come back to work, Bainimarama says”  Fiji Times (03 August 2007)

Bahrain Helps Housemaids

Housemaid abuse in Bahrain has been well-documented.  Many migrant workers have been beaten, sexually abused, and denied wages.  The exploited maids usually are poor women hoping to support their families back at home.  However, the hopes are usually proven false, as employers commonly take advantage of the maids by forcing them to comply with sponsors. For example, a large Bahraini hiring agency was recently investigated for allegedly beating its housemaids.  The complaint stemmed after rescuing a Sri Lankan woman from her employer.  Although she was not abused personally, she witnessed over 20 fellow maids being beaten and returned to their sponsors. 

Recognizing the problem, the Bahraini government has taken steps to help the housemaids.  The Bahraini government created amnesty for the maids desiring to return to their home nation.  One purpose of this six month amnesty is to allow abused women bypass employers to return to their country, and avoid repercussions for breaching their contract.  Also, the amnesty allows expatriates to register with the Bahraini government to prevent future deportation.  The registration of expatriates will allow the government to better regulate the migrant workers, and hopefully protect against future discrimination and abuse. 

Also, the Bahraini government promised to elevate the women to “worker” status in 2009.  It promises to set legal standards for the maid industry to define how an employer can treat housemaids.  This includes fees for hiring maids, minimum wage, and other regulations barring mistreatment of the maids.  Previously, the employers were given free reign to self-regulate their maids.  The government is hopeful that the creation of a uniform standard will make employers legally accountable for the treatment of their maids and eliminate abuse, discrimination, and maltreatment.

Gulf Daily News. Maids’ abuse to be probed. 20 July 2007.
Gulf News.  Bahrain extends amnesty to housemaids. 30 July 2007.
Zawya. Bahrain: ‘Worker’ status for housemaids soon. 28 July 2007.
Bahrain Tribune. Amnesty requests pour in. 2 August 2007.
Gulf Daily News. Victims of Desperation. 8 July 2007.

Resolution for Darfur Peacekeeping Force Approved

By Impunity Watch Africa

A new UN Security Council resolution to send 26,000 peacekeepers to Darfur was unanimously approved Tuesday, and approved by Sudan today. Sudan hailed the resolution as a diplomatic victory and promised to uphold the deal since it respects Sudanese sovereignty.    In June Sudan agreed to a compromise deal for the African Union to deploy a joint AU-UN peacekeeping force to end the violence.  A resolution from the Security Council was slow coming however, due to Sudan’s opposition over talks of sanctions and condemning language.

The new mission authorized yesterday will absorb the current AU force that has failed to end the violence in Sudan’s Darfur region.  The resolution authorizes up to 19,555 military personnel and 6,432 civilian police.  The force is expected to have selected its commanders by October in order to take over operations from the AU force by the end of the year.  The operation is expected to cost $2 billion in the first year.

Under the authority of Chapter 7 of the UN Charter, the resolution authorizes force for self-defense, to ensure the free movement of aid workers, and to protect civilians under attack.   The resolution does not, however, allow force to seize illegal arms, providing that such weapons are only to be monitored.  US academic and Sudan expert Eric Reeves stated that the deletion of such provisions weakened the resolution.  UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, who conducted months of talks with Khartoum, described the resolution as “historic and unprecedented.”   Although the resolution no longer includes threats of sanctions, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown threatened to impose them if the killing continues.

The main Darfur rebel group, the Sudan Liberation Movement, has stated they are encouraged by the tough language of the resolution.  However, SLM spokesman Yahia Bolad says they will reserve final judgment to see whether the peacekeepers are in fact able to enforce the agreement.   Another major concern of the group is that a majority of the land abandoned by civilians in Darfur have since been taken over by Arabs backed by the Sudanese government. The SLM will not start thinking about a political agreement for Darfur until the attacks cease and settlement issues are resolved.

International experts estimate that over 200,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million displaced from their homes since the conflict began in 2003.

For more information, please see:

AllAfrica – Sudan: AU, UN Force to Keep Peace – 01 August 2007

Christian Science Monitor – Sudan agrees to 26,000 UN troops in Darfur – 01 August 2007

Reuters – Sudan Pledges to Work with UN Darfur Force – 01 August 2007

VOA – Sudan Accepts Darfur Resolution, Rebels Have Their Doubts – 01 August 2007

Washington Post – Sudan Hails UN Peacekeepers – 01 August 2007