Family Care Leave was introduced by the FijiFirst Government in good faith.

All employees can use that in case of emergency when they need to attend to family members.

But, information is fast emerging that unions are encouraging their members not to turn up to work on May 3, right in the middle of the Asian Development Bank meeting, and to explain the absence from work by using Family Care Leave and/ or sick leave. This shows a total disregard of good faith.

We are expecting at least 3000 visitors to Fiji for the meeting.

Unions want their members to turn their backs onto these visitors. Workers need to ask is this not being anti-Fiji?

Fiji has never been known to leave their visitors stranded. We are known for our hospitality. We are known to go above and beyond to assist those travelling to our shores.

This stunt will no doubt leave a bad taste in peoples’ mouths about Fiji.

What is the ethos of being Fijian? Do we turn our backs on visitors? Do we turn off the lights, shut the gates and leave our visitors outside? Is this the hospitality we want to be known for?

Unions and unionists who have a political agenda are using this for their own advantage and it is the employees who will have to suffer when talks break down because of stunts like these.

Just a word of caution: Union members stop for a minute and think. What will you achieve from pulling this stunt?

Negotiations such as this are not taken in bad faith. It is not undertaken with a knife hanging over the heads of their employers. Employees also need to realise there are tens of thousands of young enthusiastic graduates willing to take their positions in various companies.

Do not let it come to that. Because if that happens, it will be you and your family members who would suffer.

Fiji Trades Union Congress has the Fijian Teachers Association and other smaller unions partnering them to stage a mass absence from work.

This begins from the airports. They plan to have baggage handlers, Air Terminal Services staff either call in sick or take days from their family care leave. This may also include our air traffic controllers.

Then they target hotels. With staff missing from hotels, unionists think that chaos could be created with almost all Nadi hotels booked to full occupancy for the ADB meet.

Telecom Fiji Limited staff are being urged to join this with Water Authority of Fiji employees.

Flyers sent to the Fiji Sun show that Fijian Teachers Association members have also gone around the country urging their members to support this shameful stunt.

This is not negotiation, this is blackmail.

Feedback: jyotip@fijisun.com.fj