
Issue No 58		16 June 2000

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News

Crackdown on Fiji Workers Intensifies

By Andrew Casey

Manhandled, verbally abused, sworn at and spat at for about three hours by members of the Fiji military, the Fiji TUC national secretary Felix Anthony is convinced it all happened on orders from the top in an attempt to silence him.

"It is obvious that they are bowing to pressure (from George Speight) but I don't see why they have to harass and intimidate honest law-abiding citizens of this country," Felix Anthony said on Friday after he was released.

As the military grabbed him and shunted him to a military barracks some of his union members at Fiji's crucial Rarawai Mill were locked into their workplace by military officers and ordered to work.

At the time of going to press we were waiting for news about what happened to these workers at the end of their normal shift at 3pm ( Fiji time). However all attempts at telephone contacts with union officials in Fiji failed.

The general-manager of the Mill, Mr Graham Wade, denied any workers had been locked in by the military.He did say however that there was a very strong military presence near and around the workplace for 'security reasons'.

Several hundred mill workers had already walked off their job at the Rarawai Mill, the biggest sugar mill in the country, because of insufficient cane.

But, Felix Anthony said: "some were caught inside the mill by the military who then locked the gates."

Intimidation Increases

In the last week violence - or threats of violence - against unions, union officials and union members have increased, with rude anonymous telephone calls to families, homes and offices.

Earlier in the week the Assistant National Secretary of the Fiji TUC, Diwan Shankar, had his house almost burned to the ground in an arson attempt.

Radio Australia has reported that in the last 24 hours at least two other union officials have been threatened with jail if they tried to stop the sugar harvest.

ACTU representatives are now flying to Fiji to monitor the rapidly deteriorating crisis.

They will stay in Suva - the capital of Fiji - to attend a meeting on Monday of all South Pacific regional union movements, called by the ICFTU's Asia-Pacific Regional Organisation to discuss the crisis.

Coup Enters Second Month

On Monday the Fiji Labour Party leader and legitimate Prime Minister. Mahendra Chaudhrey, and the other MPs will have been held hostage in the Parliamentary complex for a month.

After Mr Anthony's arrest Sharan Burrow, the President of the Australian Council of Trade Unions protested loudly and angrily.

"The legitimate protest of Fijian workers against the high-jacking of their Government by this terrorist George Speight is being met with threats of imprisonment by the Fijian Military.

"The international community has a responsibility to intensify its action in support of the hostages and of democracy in Fiji," Ms Burrow said.

Meanwhile the New Zealand union movement announced today a stepping up of their Fiji bans starting from midday next Tuesday.

Orders From the Top

Speaking from Fiji Mr Anthony told Workers Online and LabourStart he was convinced that the order to detain him had come from the very top of the military heirachy.

The Military spokesperson in the West Captain Haward Politini said Anthony was detained to question him about his role in discouraging union members from harvesting and crushing cane.

But there was obviously some confusion in the military ranks because almost at the same time, in Suva, Lieutenant Colonel Filipo Tarakinikini was telling the NZPA Mr Anthony had not been arrested.

The leader of the Fiji TUC was, however. Convinced that his detention was on direct orders from the military leadership in the capital.

"The military headquarters in Suva made the decision and told their people here in the West ( of the main island) to hold me," Felix Anthony said.

Anthony was arrested at about 7am ( Fiji time) and held for three hours.

" They shunted me between barracks, they were very abusive, they were happy to rough me up, spit and swear," Felix Anthony said.

Anthony - who is also general secretary of the Fiji Sugar and General Workers Union - was on his way to meet the sugar mill workers in the western half of the main island when he was arrested.

He was released after Lieutenant Colonel Filipo Tarakinikini intervened and arranged to meet him in the capital Suva later in the day.

Emergency meeting

At the time we spoke to the Fiji TUC leader he was driving to Suva with a senior union colleague - Rajeshwar Singh - to hold an emergency meeting of the TUC.

Felix Anthony and Rajeshwar Singh are scheduled to be part of a TUC delegation meeting the military leader of Fiji , Commodore Bainimarama, at about 7pm (Fiji time) to protest today's arrest.

Rajeshwar Singh, as the general secretary of the Fiji Public Service Association, was scheduled to have flown to Sydney on Friday to lobby key political figures about the crisis in his country and its effect on public administration.

He cancelled his flight arrangements the moment news of Felix Anthony's arrest came through, deciding his role as the leader of one of the major unions meant he needed to stay in the country.

Mr Anthony's arrest came the day after Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer arrived in Suva with a Commonwealth delegation to press the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group's (CMAG's) call for a quick resolution to the crisis in Fiji.

Harvesting Disrupted

On Thursday Felix Anthony had toured cane growing areas where many farmers are refusing to harvest their cane to show their support for the return of a democratic constitutional government to Fiji.

Anthony had also spoken on Thursday to the management of the sugar mills about their threats to stand down all workers because of the cane harvest boycott.

The military is trying to intimidate the cane farmers into cutting the cane to help the Fijian economy.

"They have been threatening workers, threatening farmers, threatening that if they don't work they'll be bashed up, they'll be taken away, all sorts of things like that,." Felix Anthony said.

Anthony denied claims by the military that he had contravened a decree which forbids public gatherings during martial law.

The military has advised union leaders against organising meetings as they claim it contravenes Decree number 4 which states gatherings are not allowed during martial law.

" The military are using George Speight's coup as an excuse to exercise more power. I don't think they have any intention of restoring democracy to Fiji.

" More and more it appears that way to us. They are trying to exercise more power.

"If they want to return to democracy I don't see any justification in their behaviour."

Long-Term Control

Mr Anthony said there were several signs that the military regime was attempting to establish complete and long-term control of the country.

"The very fact that they decided to abrogate the constitution, the fact that they decided to appoint an interim government, indicates that they intend much more than simply maintaining the law and order situation," he said.

The cane growers and workers are refusing to harvest the cane to protest the military regime and to demand that Mr Mahendra Chaudhry - the democratically elected Fiji PM - and the other hostages should be released from Parliament.

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  Issue 58 contents

Interview: After the Gold Rush
NSW building union leader Andrew Ferguson on life after the Olympics and why Che Guevara is his political hero.

Unions: MUA Women's Policy Back on Course
A hard hitting report by the Maritime Union's women's delegate Sue Gajdos prompts the union to, once again, promote its female members.

Politics: Raising the Rafters
Opposition leader Kim Beazley delivered a stirring address to last weekend's NSW ALP State Conference. Here's every word of it.

History: Time and Tide
Greg Patmore surveys the themes of Working Lives in Regional Australia in this introduction to the latest issue of 'Labour History'

International: Fair in the Land of the Free
More than 20,000 immigrant workers, union members and community and religious leaders packed a Los Angeles Sports Arena on June 10 in support of immigrant workers' rights.

Environment: Life's a Beach
Workers are invited to join an environmental campaign to protect the coastal communities and coastline from exploitation by multinationals.

Satire: More Pacific Coups Forecast
The popular holiday resort of Great Keppel Island is bracing itself for a bloody coup, following the rash of rebel uprisings in other parts of the Pacific.

Review: At the Barricades
Denis Evans' photo essay on the Patrick dispute captures the camaraderie on the Melbourne picket lines - solidarity that, like solder, welded workers and their communities together into a human barricade.

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Carr Establishes Labor Hire Inquiry
High Court Puts Workers At Reith's Mercy
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Unions Urged to Reignite Republic Debate
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Counselling for Workplace Accidents
Korean Food Festival is Union Business
Che Helps Doctors Save Lives
Maude Barlow Public Lecture - Sydney June 27