Four years after independence in 1970, Fiji became a member of the ILO in 1974. In 1975, the ILO opened its Office in Suva and has enjoyed a progressive and cordial relationship with its tripartite partners – the Ministry of Labour, the Fiji Employers Federation (now the Fiji Commerce and Employers Federation) and the Fiji Trades Union Congress.
The Fiji Ministry of Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment (MLIRE) has over the last decade within its own capacities rolled out its labour law reforms adapted to its local situation and economic progress. In September 2010, Fiji’s tripartite partners signed its first ever Decent Work Country Programme (DWCP) with the ILO for 2010-2012. Fiji’s DWCP priorities are as follows:
- Priority 1: Review and implementation of the ERP and related legislation;
- Priority 2: Promotion of decent employment opportunities;
- Priority 3: Extending social protection; and
- Priority 4: Capacity building of tripartite partners and strengthening of tripartism.
The priorities in the DWCP also take due account of Fiji Government’s on-going Labour Reform agenda, the outcomes of the regional Tripartite High Level Meeting on ‘Decent Work for Sustainable Development in the Pacific’ held in Port Villa, Vanuatu between 5 and 9 February 2010, the Biennial Country Programme Review (2006-2007) for Pacific Island Countries (PICs), as well as ILO’s comparative advantages vis-à-vis other UN and bilateral development partners, and the regional Tripartite Technical Meeting on Decent Work held in Nadi, Fiji between 26 and 28 November 2007.