Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Singh stays with union because of concern for Fiji workers

Posted at 01:46 on 11 February, 2013 UTC

A Fiji union leader, Attar Singh, says he has chosen union work over politics because workers in Fiji are in great trouble at the moment.

Mr Singh who is General Secretary of the Fiji Council of Trade Unions was forced to step down from his role with the National Federation Party at the weekend because of a decree banning union officials from holding office in a political party.

Mr Singh says his union duties include seeing through a complaint about the regime’s labour laws to the International Labour Organisation.

“I have greater responsibility in the immediate future to the members of the union and the workers generally and I thought it’s important for me to stay on here and finish this work and hopefully while this is happening perhaps the decree and the laws regarding political participation may change over time and we can then relook at that situation when that arises.”

Fiji union leader Attar Singh