Water Authority Ordered To Pay Ravai $750

The Employment Relations Court in Suva has ruled that the Water Authority of Fiji shall pay a cost of $750 to its former chief executive officer, Opetaia Ravai, within seven days.

Ravai had filed employment grievance including a defamation case against the authority after he was allegedly terminated from WAF on June 12, 2018.

The matter was called before Judge Justice Anjala Wati yesterday.

Ravai was represented by Vukicanavanua Rokodreu from Valenitabua and Associates.

Lawyers for the authority were not present in court during the ruling.

Ravai claimed that his termination was unfair, breach of his contract, breach of the Employment Relations Act, amongst other grounds.

However, the authority claimed that the plaintiff’s (Ravai) claims filed were illegal against a designated corporation and thus statute barred for non-compliance with the Section 188 (4) of the Employment Relations Act (ERA).

The lawyers for the authority had claimed that Ravai had filed his grievance out of the 21 days’ timeframe and sought the application to be struck out.

However, Mr Rokodreu informed that the grievance was filed within the 21 days’ timeframe.

Justice Wati, in her ruling, said she would not strike out the matter and would allow Ravai to file his case.

She said she found that the authority’s submissions were not proper and that Rava had filed his grievances within 21 days, which the law required of him.

She ordered the authority to pay $750 as cost to Ravai within seven days of the ruling.

The substantive matter of the grievance will be called for mention to fix the hearing date on April 22.

Edited by Ranoba Baoa

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