Jone Usamate said yesterday that the ongoing saga between the Air Terminal Services workers, who are on unlawful strike, and management must reach a solution from both parties.

“The solution has to come from both sides and those kinds of solutions is the kind that will last, because they come from the two parties,” the Minister for Employment, Productivity and Industrial Relations said during his meeting with the workers in Nadi yesterday.

“The next step after this is that once we talk to the management our mediation team will continue their work and bring both parties back so that discussion continues.

“The meeting today was not to come up with a solution. It was basically to come to meet the workers and later on I will be meeting the management.

“Basically encouraging people to keep working together, so we can come to a resolution that both parties will agree on.”

Mr Usamate said the underlying factor was that what both parties were agreeing on was the return to work of those on strike.

“The management want the workers back. The workers want to go back. So we are to discuss what can be done, and options we can take to make sure the people can go back to work.”

Of the 639 ATS employees, about 300 have been sitting outside the company gates since December 16.

These included those who abandoned their positions a week ago on Saturday and those who later stayed out to support them. However, over the past week some had returned to work.

Operations at Nadi International Airport have continued as normal despite wild claims by an Australian Transport Workers Union official supporting the strikers.

Edited by Ranoba Baoa

Feedback:  lusiana.banuve@fijisun.com.fj