EFL Loses Over 200 Skilled Workers in Four Years

Within the past four years, more than 200 specialised technical staff had resigned from Energy Fiji Limited (EFL).

These key technical staff includes technicians, electricians and line mechanics, who often aid EFL in the country’s power supply operation.

To some extent, this brain drain affects the services expected within EFL.

Its chief executive officer Hasmukh Patel highlighted this during yesterday’s review of the 2019- 2020 and 2021-2022 Audit Report on Public Enterprises for EFL.

Mr Patel was responding to committee member Hem Chand’s question about the exodus of technical staff.

“In the past four years, the company has lost more than 200 technical personnel,” Mr Chand queried.

“Has the company been able to get suitable and qualified people or personnel to replace more than 200 that have left?”

Mr Patel said EFL was facing a problem of key staff resigning.

“This is a problem throughout Fiji,” Mr Patel said.

“We’ve been losing a lot of people in many organisations, and EFL is no exception.

“These are all very skilled people in the technical sector. When we say technical sector, we mean technicians, electricians and line mechanics.

“These are all skilled people who’ve all undergone training, either in institutions in Fiji like Fiji National University. For example, for line mechanics, we have our internal training programmes.”

Mr Patel said they often hire apprentices after which, they were provided with hands-on training.

The line mechanics training is a three to four-year course within EFL.

“When we lose that level of staff, that 218 technical staff, obviously it’s not easy to replace them at that skilled level,” Mr Patel said.

“I must admit that to some level, the level of service will get affected, but we’re trying to manage to the best of our ability.”

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