“The decision to have the military-sponsored Fiji dictatorship as the G77 chair in 2013 puts an odious stain of repression on this important international grouping. Less than two weeks ago, Fiji expelled a fact-finding mission from the UN’s International Labour Organisation. Now, Commodore Bainimarama’s regime will be speaking for the G77 at the UN, even as the people of Fiji, their unions, civic organisations and the media are harassed, intimidated and silenced,” said ITUC General Secretary Sharan Burrow.
Pressure is nevertheless growing on the regime. Fair Trade recently
expressed its alarm at the attacks on workers’ rights in the sugar sector Today in Washington DC, the government must respond to allegations that it violated US trade law by violating workers’ rights, which may lead to the suspension of its trade preferences.