Praneeta Prakash 
The Fiji Teachers Union has returned to negotiations with key government ministries after a mandate to strike was refused due to unexhausted negotiation avenues.
The union, along with the Fijian Teachers Association, has been pressing for a 30 percent pay increase and improved working conditions for teachers across the country.
FTU General Secretary, Muniappa Goundar, confirms that the union is now engaged in monthly discussions with the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Civil Service, and the Ministry of Finance.
He says these meetings form part of an ongoing effort to address the union’s concerns constructively.
“We are attending monthly meetings. We have got minutes of these monthly meetings, and these minutes are the official documents, which I know would give us that chance to reapply, failing to meet what we have been discussing in these meetings.
Goundar emphasizes that their focus is securing tangible outcomes through these negotiations.
“Basically, the most important thing that we are looking at is the school reclassification which is going to be answered through the job evaluation exercise. So that is going to be taking place shortly.”
Despite the earlier push for industrial action, Goundar remains optimistic about the progress made so far.
He also expressed appreciation for the coalition government’s willingness to engage with the unions and listen to their concerns.
