Pacific unions asked to act on Fiji

Date: 29 May 2000

Unions right around the Asia-Pacific basin are being asked to co-operate with the Australian union movement in the isolation of Fiji while democratic institutions are under threat.

Korea, Japan, the USA are nations with important tourist and business relationships with the Pacific Island nation of Fiji - in these countries there are significant unions who can act in solidarity with requests from the Fijian TUC.

In Hawaii and on the West Coast of the USA the powerful International Longshoremen and Warehouse Union has been approached by Australia's Maritime Union who have already started to stop freight in and out of Fiji.

The Australian Council of Trade Union's Fiji crisis committee met tonight to review the first day of industrial bans on Fiji.

The crisis committee met just as the Fiji military announced that a 48 hour curfew had been imposed on the Pacific Island with the Army taking control of the national capital to prevent a re-occurrence of the rioting last night.

All military reserves have been called back into service and all schools have been closed for the week.

In the western parts of Fiji refugee camps are being established to house people escaping the turmoil in Suva.

The first calls for the UN to step in and help these refugees - mainly Indo-Fijians - have started to come from the island.

The website Fijilive.com - which has been a major source of information about the crisis - has now shutdown for the next 48 hours.

Fiji's coup leader George Speight has threatened to execute the President's daughter first, if there is any military attempt to free his hostages.

The ACTU has set up a special committee, which includes all the significant unions connected with trade, commerce and tourism to Fiji , to meet regularly during the crisis.

Bans in the following areas are now in place:

Shipping;
Air Transport ( both passenger and freight);
Postal services;
Pickets on embassy, consulates and tourism offices.

ACTU President, Sharan Burrow, has told the media tonight that these bans will only be lifted in cases of important humanitarian need.

For further information

Contact:	Andrew Casey
Union:	Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Workers Union
Phone:	9281 9511
Fax:	92821 4480
Email:	Andrewc@lhmu.org.au
WWW:	http://www.lhmu.org.au

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