On Fiji's

Disputes Ahead

Industrial Front

From a Suva correspondent Another period of industrial unrest is looming for Fiji, and once again much of it will stem from Nadi Airport, where Apisai Mohammed Tora is licking the wounds he got from the Austra lian economic expert, Professor Donald Cochrane, of Monash

University.

Mr. Tora, his advocate Mr. James Anthony (now of the Australian National University), and members of the Airport and General Workers’

Union, were hopeful of some success when they turned up for the arbitra tion proceedings at which the pro fessor inquired into the dispute be tween the union and Qantas Airways.

The union had refused to turn up for the inquiry into the dispute conducted by Sir Trevor Gould, the Australian judge, after the strike of airport workers last October. They didn’t want an inquiry, Mr. Tora said. They didn’t want Sir Trevor; they wanted arbitration and they wanted an economist to be the arbitrator. So they got one.

Mr. Tora claimed wage increases of from 100 per cent, for senior porters—2/6i an hour to 5/8 an hour—to 170 per cent, for a female attendant.

Fringe benefits

He also wanted fringe benefits— education allowances for children, treble rates for some overtime, 42 days’ a year sick leave entitlement, travel leave to Australia or New Zealand for the employee, his wife and not more than three children, and, for workers with more than 10 years’ service, 21 days annual leave and three months’ leave at the end of three years.

The union had high hopes of getting some of these things, but it didn’t get half.

The tribunal awarded wage in creases from 4d to 8d an hour, in two increments—half from Novem ber 1 last, and half from November next. There were a few other improvements and conditions.

If Mr. Tora expected to get more

he was shutting his eyes, some people said, to realities.

The English economic expert, Pro fessor Turner, who did a wages survey in Fiji, had stressed that wage increases should not be more than five per cent., otherwise the economy would suffer. Sir Trevor Gould was of the same mind.

As an economist, Professor Cochrane apparently decided he could not preach a different gospel.

“I am of the opinion that some thing round 6-7 per cent, a year is the limit for the rate of increase of this wage claim if undue disturb ance is not to be caused to the wage structure, price level and labour market or the rate of economic growth is not to be endangered,” said the professor making his award.

But Mr. Tora will have none of it, and backing him is Mr. Anthony who has other irons in the fire be sides workers’ wages.

Mr. Tora called a 24-hour token strike as a protest against the award and then called his members back to work after 24 hours. They had made their point, he said. He added that he supposed, as they had agreed to accept arbitration, they had a moral obligation to go along with

Hotel trouble

The moral obligation isn’t going to last long, though. More disputes are ahead.

On March 26 members of the Airport and General Workers Union voted to take strike action—agreeing that 28 days notice of intention to withdraw airport fire services should be served on the government.

Union members also voted to take strike action against eight Fiji hotels if they did not supply the union with information showing their profits.

Mr. Tora had served a log of claims on the hotels almost identical with the one he presented to Qantas. But he refused to begin talks with the hoteliers at the beginning of March because he said they refused to co operate with supplying him informa tion on which he could base his arguments for better wages and con ditions.

He wanted to know how much the companies had paid for the land how much for their hotels; what their wages and salaries bills were; what government concessions they had, and the amount of capital invest ment in the hotels.

The hoteliers turned his question naire down flat. A letter protesting against the refusal was sent to the Commissioner of Labour, Mr. K. D.

Harrap, and the signature on the

letter was that of the union’s in dustrial advocate, Mrs. Alberta Anthony, wife of Mr. James Anthony.

Several other wage awards have been made in Fiji involving increases to the order of 2d or 3d an hour, and since some employers seem to think it is time to dig heals in there is undoubtedly strife building up.

One development, which has noth ing to do with the direction Tora is going, is that the Transport Worker’s Union had demanded recognition from 15 bus companies.

The union has a large membership among the bus drivers and claims — probably quite rightly— that it is entitled to recognition, but the com panies don’t want to be in it.

The union is operating under the aegius of Fiji’s leading trade unionist Mr. Mohammed Ramzan, secretary of the Trade Union Congress.

If the union strikes, it will have the backing of the TUC, which is well led by moderates who have none of the wild-cat in their make up. But, there are signs that Mr.

Tora will call out his workers in sympathy, a sort of casting his net in troubled waters.

There are also ominous signs that the Fiji Dockworkers’ and Seamen’s Union will split. Union men at Lautoka have announced that they have broken away and will form their own union.

The Dockworkers have never had much to do with Mr. Tora and his unions and have been under the moderating influence of their ex secretary Isireli Naborisi and the TUC, but Isireli has departed for the outer islands and leadership has weakened.

The union is opposing the attempt to break away and it may be killed in the offices of the Registrar of Industrial Associations, who will want a good reason for recognising a breakaway body.

It is suspected that here again Mr.

Tora is making his influence felt, and that a new dockworkers’ body formed at Lautoka will become another member of the “awkward squad”.

Meanwhile a new bill introduced to the Legislative Council on Friday, which will make it harder for those in essential services to strike, could effect the airport workers notice of strike. The bill might also bring

some opposition.

The bill says that persons em ployed in essential services may strike “only in pursuance of a trade dispute with their employer”. Report of the trade dispute would have to made to the Commissioner of Labour and 28 days would have to elapse after the report. The Governor will pre scribe the form and manner in which strike notices are to be given.