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The Suva Retailers Association says it supports the Fiji Commerce & Employers Federation’s and Fiji Hotel & Tourism Association’s call to consider employers’ concerns by reviewing the proposed harsh elements of the amendments to the Employment Relations Act.

President Jitesh Patel says they are also calling for collaboration on balanced solutions that protect workers while allowing businesses to thrive.

Patel says in August the Retailers Association made a statement anticipating an optimistic outlook in business including anticipating new business investments in the City.

He adds that the majority of their members are MSMEs and employ more than 3,500 workers, the majority women, in the City.

Patel highlights that their retail businesses and workers also support hundreds of other businesses including Government and thousands of workers in the City.

However, he states that the revelation of proposed fines up to $500,000, imprisonment up to 20 years and by passing of mediation services is very concerning for their 150 members and could prove counter to their initial business outlook.

He adds that the non-disclosure Agreement that the Ministry of Employment has imposed on employer members to the Employment Relations Advisory Board, does not allow SRA to engage freely with employer members of the Employment Relations Board to discuss the proposed amendments.

Therefore, Patel states that they are calling on the Government to release the proposed amendments to the ERA for wider public information and discussion.

Patel further says that their members continue to be impacted by the high cost of doing business, unavailability of skills and labour, low productivity and climatic events also with the cyclone season starting next month.

He is calling on the Government to provide clarity to the retail business community by releasing the proposed amendments so they can freely discuss it with their ERAB members.

In addition, Patel says they are calling for the return to the tripartite set up so their ERAB members can negotiate the amendments on behalf of SRA, transparently on the amendments to the ERA.