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A meeting is scheduled between the Fiji Posts & Telecommunications Employees Association (FP&TEA) and Telecom Fiji Ltd management tomorrow to discuss the proposed redundancy at the company.
FP&TEA general secretary Attar Singh told Fiji Live TFL management had called the meeting today, following the union’s decision to oppose the proposed layoff of 177 staff at TFL.
“We have already pointed out that we are not satisfied with the company's proposals and arguments for compulsory redundancy, preferring instead that TFL adopt voluntary redundancy on a revised package as in the past,” Singh had told the media today.
Since receiving the notice on June 2nd of TFL’s restructure plans and subsequent redundancy plans, Singh said FP&TEA has been traveling around to meet and hold talks with its members.
“We met with our members in Labasa on Monday and we met with members in Suva and Walu Bay today and the meetings were well attended,” Singh said. “All I can say is that members are quite concerned and angry that this is happening. No one wants to lose their jobs especially in these difficult times.”
Singh said the union is proposing that TFL calls for voluntary redundancy and a redundancy package comparable to the package it paid out in a voluntary redundancy exercise it carried out five years ago.
“In that redundancy, the workers got three months pay plus two weeks for each year of service,” Singh said.
TFL’s proposed forced redundancy this year is said to be coming with a take home package of one week’s pay for each year of service.
The company, which currently employs some 900 workers, yesterday issued a statement saying the redundancy would result from a restructure that it has had to undertake “in response to the impact of economic conditions on its business.”
