Jioje Konrote wore a winged dagger pin and a poppy flower proudly on his coat yesterday in Parliament.

It was a salute, of sorts, to past exploits as a soldier but it also invoked the kind of determination and camaraderie he intends to cultivate at his new workplace.  As Minister of Employment Opportunities, Productivity and Industrial Relations he has his work cut out for him.

Fijians have rejected confrontation and class warfare, he told Parliament during his maiden speech.

“The teamwork culture of the Voreqe Bainimarama has led to ‘spectacular results,” he said.

The success of Fiji Airways was one of the most visible results of this teamwork ethos, he said, that was now infiltrating the public service. He credited the ‘11th-hour’ intervention of the Government that saved the airline company from bankruptcy.

“It is a model for other companies,” he said.

He also credited his diplomatic background as an asset that would enable him negotiate ‘win-win’ deals with stakeholders.

He served previously as Fijian High Commissioner to Australia.

He offered an olive branch to trade unions but insisted that he would not be ‘railroaded’ into deals that compromised the national interest.

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