Posts Categorised: Employment

“No Jab No Job” ends

Introduction 1. On 17 March 2023 the Health and Safety at Work (General Workplace Conditions) (Amendment) Regulations 2023 (2023 Regulations) were published in the Gazette, giving effect to the new Government’s promise to eliminate the July 2021 “No Jab, No Job” policy. 2. The 2023 Regulations delete Part 14A of the Health and Safety at… Read more »

The 2022 minimum wage increases and the law

Introduction 1. During the 24 March 2022 ‘mini-budget,’ the Government announced it would incrementally raise the national minimum wage from the existing $2.68 to $4.00 an hour by 1 January 2023.  What does the law allow? National Minimum Wage increase 2. The Employment (National Minimum Wage) (Amendment) Regulations 2022 were gazetted on 7 April 2022,… Read more »

Jabs, jobs and (maybe) judges

The new vaccination regulations are not straightforward Introduction 1. The Government’s radical new “no jab no job” Regulations may be a short-term fix for employers struggling with vaccine hesitancy in their workforce. But the Regulations may create other legal challenges. 2. Officially, the new rules are the Health and Safety at Work (HSW) (General Workplace… Read more »

Fiji – COVID-19 Update

Introduction 1. On 21 June 2020, the Hon. Prime Minister announced a range of new COVID19 related measures. These included the easing of restrictions and introduced “Phase 2” of Fiji’s COVID Safe Economic Recovery Framework. Fiji’s COVID Safe Economic Recovery Framework 2. This framework can be found at the Ministry of Commerce, Trade, Tourism and… Read more »

Corona and Fiji Employers – Get the Law Right

Introduction Few employment laws, including Fiji’s Employment Relations Act 2007 (ERA), could foresee the COVID-19 crisis. Fiji employers, beginning with the flattened tourism industry, have had to move fast to conserve cash, including pay cuts and temporary layoffs. Now comes the paperwork. What’s legal? And how should these urgent arrangements be kept within the law?… Read more »

Employment Relations (Budget Amendment) Act 2018

Introduction 1. In the 2018-2019 National Budget, the Government announced new leave entitlements which affect all employers and workers in Fiji. The new entitlements have been approved by Parliament in the Employment Relations (Budget Amendment) Act 2018 (“2018 Act”). 2. The 2018 Act amends the Employment Relations Act 2007 (“Act”) and introduces: (a) 5 days’… Read more »

Changes to the law for employees of “essential industries” Employment Relations Promulgation (Amendment) Act 2015

Introduction 1. A new Employment Relations Promulgation (Amendment) Act 2015 has been passed by the Fiji Parliament and published in the Gazette. It came into effect on 11 September 2015. 2. The Amendment Act makes a few changes to the Employment Relations Promulgation 2007 (“ERP”) which apply generally, but its main purpose is to repeal… Read more »

Workmen’s Compensation Amendments

Attached is a copy of the Workmen’s Compensation (Amendment) Act 2015 which was tabled, debated and passed by Parliament all on the same day – 8 July 2015. It came into force on 17 July 2015, the date it was officially published in the Gazette. Under the Workmen’s Compensation Act, an employer is liable to pay… Read more »

The New Government Regulations on Wages

Introduction 1. A number of Regulations governing wages (including the new National Minimum Wage) have just been published in the Gazette and were stated to come into effect, on 1 July 2015. We have some doubt about their validity. The uncertainty arising from these issues has the potential to be bad for everybody – employers,… Read more »

New Employment Relations Regulations 2015

LN 51 of 2015 – Employment Relations (National Minimum Wage) Regulations 2015 LN 52 of 2015 – Wages (Building and Civil and Electrical Engineering Trades) Regulations 2015 LN 53 of 2015 – Wages (Hotel and Catering Trades) Regulations 2015 LN 54 of 2015 – Wages (Manufacturing Industry) Regulations 2015 LN 55 of 2015 – Wages… Read more »

Employment Law Update

Introduction 1. On 11 December 2014, among other Bills, the following Acts were enacted to amend employment related legislation: (a)Fringe Benefit Tax (Budget Amendment) Act No. 6 of 2014. (b)Stamp Duties (Budget Amendment) Act No. 12 of 2014. (c)Fiji National Provident Fund (Amendment Act) Act No. 13 of 2014. Copies of the Acts which commence on 1 January 2015 are… Read more »

Wage Regulation Orders Alert 2012

Wages Regulation Orders 2012 This Alert summarises the Wages Regulation Orders gazetted on 30 October 2012 (WROs) pursuant to the Employment Relations Promulgation 2007 (ERP). The WROs follow proposals that were gazetted on 29 June 2012 and written submissions that were invited to be made. The WROs affect workers in the industries listed below whose… Read more »

Notice of Wages Regulation Proposals

Introduction This Alert summarises the proposed Wages Regulation Orders (WROs) gazetted on 29 June 2012 (Proposals) pursuant to the Employment Relations Promulgation 2007 (ERP). The ERP requires the relevant wages councils to publish notice of the Proposals stating: (a)   the place where copies of the proposal may be obtained (b)   the period within which written representations on… Read more »

Proposed Health and Safety at Work (Plant) Regulations 2010

(new regulatory process for plant safety; new categories of plant included) Introduction 1. The government last month released draft Health and Safety at Work (Plant) Regulations (Regulations) to certain industry stakeholders for comment. The new draft law appears to have had only limited circulation with a short time for feedback, now (officially) expired. 2. The… Read more »