Forwarded from Lou Paulsen

[Louis Proyect <lnp3@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

(Posted from an nonsubbed id. Lou, remember that you are subbed at
wwchi@xxxxxxxxxxxx)

Fiji Times July 26

Day of national protest

By Devika Narayan

EMPLOYERS and unions will decide tomorrow on a date for a national protest.

This was decided at a joint committee meeting of the Fiji Trades Union
Congress, Fiji Employers Federation, Fiji Chamber of Commerce and
non-governmental organisations yesterday.

The committee was formed a few weeks ago and signed a peace accord with the
army that saw the lifting of sanctions imposed by the Australian Council of
Trades Unions and New Zealand trade unions.

Congress general secretary Felix Anthony said all parties of the joint
committee decided to stage a national protest during the meeting.

"They will go and discuss this in their constituencies and on Thursday we
will meet again to decide on the date of the national protest,'' he said.
Mr Anthony said the joint committee hoped to meet President Ratu Josefa
Iloilo to discuss their position.

"We will put forward the position of all parties to him and request for a
solution to the crisis within the framework of the 1997 constitution,'' Mr
Anthony said.

He said all parties would discuss the law and order situation of the
country and the need for the army to keep control of the situation.

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My notes:

I think this is correctly described as a "national" protest (the
nationality being Indo-Fijian). It sure doesn't look like a class protest!
:-)

Norm, I know you think we have to take our orders unquestioningly from the
FTUC, but do we really have to follow the orders of the Fiji Chamber of
Commerce and the Fiji Employers' Federation?

I thought Chaudhry had been ousted by the greedy capitalists because he
pushed for a minimum wage (this was one of the theories anyway).

Are the local Indo-Fijian small-capitalist elites really so superior to the
"native elites" we keep hearing about?

Lou Paulsen
Chicago


Louis Proyect

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