Apenisa Waqairadovu 
Employees from a prominent contractor of the Fiji Roads Authority have initiated legal actions against the company.
Today, a secret ballot, overseen by the Labor Department, took place at the China Railway 5 Engineering Group Depot in Suva involving more than 70 workers.
Construction, Energy and Timber Workers Union rep Tomasi Tagidrala says over the next two days, more employees at additional depots in the eastern and central divisions will participate in the voting process.
Tagidrala claims the workers are asserting grievances related to unfair compensation, redundancy issues, non-compliance, and other concerns.
“The pay rise, the redundancy issue, people who left work have not been called back and now they are doing recruitment outside which is not supposed to be done. And so they eract some of the ERA section 145 and section 77. They never honour or signed a mediated agreement. ”
Tagidrala says the workers are casting their votes for a shot at a better work environment.
“This demonstrate their eager, what they want to be done and it’s a matter of time they make a tick yes or no and most pf them have been crying for this for years.”
Employee Ruveni Navunigasau says he is specifically dissatisfied with the salary they are receiving.
“I’m sure all of us casting our vote today are not happy with the rate we are receiving.”
Once the secret ballot concludes, the labour department will tally the votes before proceeding with the necessary actions.
Meanwhile, efforts to obtain a comment from the company have been unsuccessful.
