Fiji Islands ILO member state

Fiji became a member of the ILO in1974. In 1975 ILO opened its Office for the South Pacific in Suva. During this time, the ILO has helped the country develop in many different ways, the principal amongst them has been the provision of technical expertise.

In a recent tripartite workshop in June 2003, ILO Constituents identified a number of deficits in relation to the promoting Decent Work agenda. A draft Decent Work National Plan of Action is has been drafted identifying strategic responses to these gaps. The details of this will be placed on this website soon.

Since the May 2000 Coup, ILO has concentrated its support on the institutional capacity building of its social partners.

The following major achievements have been made in the following areas:

Sector 1- Standards & Fundamental Principals & Rights at Work

Major Achievements

Ratification of the eight fundamental conventions (C29, C87, C98, C100, C105, C111, C138 and C182).
Translation of the declaration and fundamental convention into Fijian and Hindi.
Awareness on the issue of child labour with particular reference to its worst forms and promoting project on 'Type & Extent of Child Labour".
Review of selected conventions such as: Maternity Protection; Tripartism, etc.
Translation of Convention 169 on indigenous rights.
Study on Discrimination in Employment & Occupation.
Review of Industrial Relations Bill.

Sector 2- Decent Employment & Income for all

Promotion and implementation of the Integrated Human Resource Development Programme for Employment Promotion (IHRDPEP) - a medium term strategy for job creation in the formal and informal sector in rural and urban areas. The programme has succeeded in creating 3370 jobs.

The other two major achievements of this programme are: a) Tripartite PEAK Body composed of 15 ministers and executives of employers', workers' organizations to provide policy guidance. b) Declaration of unemployment free zones c) Development of small & micro-enterprise policy framework d) Development of Youth employment policy framework e) Development of draft labour market information policy framework f) Implementation of IHRDPEP as a pilot scheme in the rural town of Sigatoka to find formal employment and or gainful engagement in economic activities by all unemployed persons.

Assistance in the establishment of the Computerized Human Resource Information System with the Ministry of Finance and National Planning.
Review of the Industrial Training Board of the Training and Productivity Authority of Fiji.
Recommendation on vocational Rehabilitation of persons with disability.
Study on skill losses.
Trained officials of government, employers' and workers' organizations on Labour Market Information system.

Sector 3 - Social Protection

Actuarial evaluation of Fiji Provident Fund.
Ongoing discussion on the possible expansion on social security coverage for health care.
Study on the social protection systems of Fiji.
Trained officials of the government, employers' and workers' organizations on Occupational Safety and Health (OSH). Development of OSH Information Center is under progress.
Study on the 'Working condition and welfare of maritime workers'.
Inter-agency UN project on HIV-Aids, Training of workers' and employers' organizations on code of practice of HIV-AIDS at the workplace.

Sector 4 -Social dialogue & tripartism

Assistance to the government, workers' and employers' organization in the review of the Industrial Relations Bill.
Institutional capacity building of constituents by granting fellowships / training in various economic and social areas and organizing national an sub-regional workshops.
Institutional capacity building of trade union organization in areas of Occupational Safety and Health, Youth employment, leadership training, democracy and workers rights, Industrial Relations, Fundamental Convention, Gender equality and women leaders, etc.
Study on globalization and its impact on workers' rights.
Study and strategic planining on the institutional capacity building of Fiji Employers' Federation.