‘Just minimum wage’ proposed as constitutional right

Every person would have a constitutional right to work and to a “just minimum wage” under the Constitution Amendment Bill 2026.

Bill No. 32 of 2026 seeks to revise the 2013 Constitution and provide for the Constitution of the Republic of Fiji 2026.

The Bill was tabled in Parliament today for its first reading.

Section 34 states: “Every person has the right to work and to a just minimum wage.”

The proposed constitutional provision does not specify a dollar amount for a “just minimum wage”.

It appears within a broader section of the proposed Constitution dealing with social, economic and cultural rights.

Immediately before the minimum wage provision, section 33 proposes a right to economic participation.

It states that every person would have the right to full and free participation in the economic life of the State, including the right to choose their own work, trade, occupation, profession or other means of livelihood.

The proposed Constitution would also establish rights to reasonable access to transportation, accessible and adequate housing and sanitation, adequate food and clean and safe water, social security schemes and health.

However, those rights are subject to a broader provision governing their application.

Section 31 states that in applying any right under that part, the State must take reasonable measures within its available resources to achieve the progressive realisation of the right.

This means the proposed Constitution would establish the “just minimum wage” as a constitutional right while leaving the provision itself without a specified wage figure.

Bill No. 32 seeks to revise the 2013 Constitution and provide for the proposed Constitution of the Republic of Fiji 2026.

The Bill proposes a commencement date of March 31, 2028, if enacted.