Vatukoula Mine Workers Payout Deal Sealed

The Ministry of Employment, the Office of the Prime Minister, the Fiji Trade Union Congress (FTUC), and the Fiji Mine Workers reached an agreement to provide a $9.2 million payout to 368 mining workers involved in a 33-year strike.

The agreement was signed at the FTUC Lautoka branch located along Marine Drive on Thursday.

The Minister for Employment and Industrial Relations, Agni Deo Singh, said the ministry was present with the union executives meeting and working on the execution of the payout, and the final settlement through the signing of the agreement .

“The Coalition Government together with the FTUC and the Fiji Mine Workers Union have finally reached a resolution with a total payout of $9.2m over two years,” the minister said.

“Each of the 368 mining workers on strike will be $25,000 with the first $10,000 paid from this Budget and the remainder of $15,000 paid from the 2025-2026 budget.

“The Prime Minister delegated this agenda and in the first quarter of this year, the ministry revisited and met with the affected families.

These families were emotional when the team visited them and assured them of the coalition government’s commitment that a solution would be founds as soon as possible.”

Trade union

FTUC general secretary Felix Anthony said many were relieved that a settlement was reached after the 33 years.

“Like I’ve said, there is no amount that we can agree on that will compensate for the 33 years of hardship and pain that the mine workers have gone through,” he said.

“We recognise that we can never compensate these workers enough, but I believe that this agreement gets the Government to understand and recognise the plight of the workers.”

He said the signing also highlighted the commitment the previous government made to the International Labour Organization that these workers be compensated and the matter resolved.

“We are grateful to this Government to have acted on this and while of course, like I said the workers would want more I mean, it’s, you can never compensate for these kinds of things but this is a good step forward and brings some closure to this issue ad as the minister has indicated, I think the first payment will be made in early August to these workers of $10,000 each,” he said.

Sadly, 183 of those workers have passed on, but their families remain.

“What we can say is that we’re happy with the decision to resolve this matter and we will continue to assist these workers on the way forward of course, there are other areas that they would need to now look at and one of them is housing, because many of them actually live in the housing that’s provided by the mines,” Mr Anthony said.

“So that would probably require resettlement and discussions on that will be now held with the company itself and, of course, we certainly hope that the Government will be able to assist in that manner as well,” he said.

Mine workers

Fiji Mine Workers Union president Joseva Sadreu thanked the government, FTUC and the Office of the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Employment and Industrial Relations for facilitating the formalisation of the agreement.

“I would like to also praise the Lord for all that is finally happening, because God reveals the reality and he will make things happen. So I’m very proud and thankful that something has happened after the long painful strike in Vatukoula I thank the members for their support and the families here.”

About 12 executive members witnessed the signing for both payouts.

The members will meet on Saturday in Vatukoula.

Feedback: salote.qalubau@fijisun.com.fj