Staff accuse Communications Fiji radio group

Staff accuse Communications Fiji radio group of harassment over union

* Pacific Media Watch Online - check the website for archive and links:
http://www.pmw.c2o.org
* Post a comment on PMW's Right of Reply:
http://www.TheGuestBook.com/egbook/257949.gbook

RADIO AGAINST UNION MOVE
http://www.fijilive.com/news/news.php3?art=27/27x.htm

SUVA (Fijilive/Pacific Media Watch): The Fiji Public Service Association has lodged a complaint to the Ministry of Labour after workers of Communications (Fiji) Ltd claimed they were being harassed after signing up to join the union, the Daily Post reports.

General secretary Rajeshwar Singh said a letter of voluntary recognition had been sent to the managing director of the company, William Parkinson, only to be told by members that management was harassing them.

Parkinson, a former president of the Pacific Islands News Association (PINA), yesterday denied any management heavy handiness and said his company wanted to ensure that staff were best informed of their options.

"We are proud of the terms we have here at FM96 and Navtarang and the working conditions are the best in the media industry and probably in any other company as staff get profit shares and have shares in the company itself," he said.

Parkinson acknowledged receiving a voluntary recognition letter, which he said, would be replied to in due course.

"At the moment we are assessing it and will inform the FPSA in due course," he said.

Singh said in a letter to Permanent Secretary of Labour Brian Singh: "We have been advised by our members in FM96/Navtarang that the management has been threatening our members from yesterday (Tuesday) to withdraw from the union.

"Our information is that five of our members have been given an ultimatum, to withdraw their membership as soon as possible."

Rajeshwar Singh claimed that he had the support of 56 of the 80 or so staff and would consider industrial action if it was needed.

+++niuswire

PACIFIC MEDIA WATCH ONLINE http://www.pmw.c2o.org

PACIFIC MEDIA WATCH is an independent, non-profit, non-government organisation comprising journalists, lawyers, editors and other media workers, dedicated to examining issues of ethics, accountability, censorship, media freedom and media ownership in the Pacific region. Launched in October 1996, it has links with the Journalism Program at the University of the South Pacific, Bushfire Media, the Australian Centre for Independent Journalism, and Pactok Communications, in Sydney and Port Moresby.

(c)1996-2002 Copyright - All rights reserved.

Items are provided solely for review purposes as a non-profit educational service. Copyright remains the property of the original producers as indicated. Recipients should seek permission from the copyright owner for any publishing. Copyright owners not wishing their materials to be posted by PMW please contact us. The views expressed in material listed by PMW are not necessarily the views of PMW or its members.

Recipients should rely on their own inquiries before making decisions based on material listed in PMW. Please copy appeals to PMW and acknowledge source.

For further information, inquiries about joining the Pacific Media Watch

listserve, articles for publication, and giving feedback contact Pacific

Media Watch at: E-mail: delaro@clear.net.nz Fax: (+679) 30 5779 or (+612) 9660 1804 Mail: PO Box 9, Annandale, NSW 2038, Australia or, PO Box 78028, Auckland 1002, New Zealand. New website: www.pmw.c2o.org

© Scoop Media