Over 500 people have already applied for the jobs advertised by the Water Authority of Fiji (WAF) in the last 48 hours. This includes many temporary workers whose contracts ended yesterday.
Every year, WAF advertises for temporary workers to be a part of upcoming projects around Fiji and this has been practised for many years.
“Many of the temporary workers whose contracts have expired are well aware of how things work and, instead of being misled by the union to protest, are actively applying for positions from all locations around the country,” said WAF Board Chair, Bhavesh Kumar.
“The union is going around harping on about unhappy workers, but the high numbers who have applied indicate that many of them have not been fooled by their false information.”
General Manager Legal Talei Ligairi stated “As in past years, our management team gives preference to those who have experience working on our projects, especially those who have performed well. They are important to us and many of them are very well aware and are already applying.”
Contrary to the Union’s claim, on April 1, workers were given a reminder that their contracts were coming to an end on April 30.
Yesterday, WAF Management called for a meeting with employees to clarify the fake news that Felix Anthony and his union had spread, originating from a fake Facebook page.
“Our HR team was present with management at the meeting yesterday to give information, answer questions and take job applications. Many of those who attended the meeting applied for jobs on site.”
Despite admitting that he was fooled by the fake news, Felix Anthony still has not stopped misleading people.
Misinformed former employees and union reps mischievously used an old interim court order from last year to gain entry to WAF’s Wailoku complex and are showing this same order to the media.
Police officers went in and explained to the people gathered inside that this was incorrect and they subsequently agreed to move outside the complex.
“My plea to the temporary workers who are relying on the bad advice from unions is to, please, seek advice from independent sources, lawyers and even our HR team. We also urge the unions to stop abusing the word ‘terminated’ as they do not clarify that terms of employment have come to an end. Termination on its own can be misinterpreted as it can also refer to someone being fired. This is not the case here.”
WAF and the National Union of Workers are due to reconvene before the arbitration court on May 7 to sort any issues out.