IT'S OFFICIAL!

Taniela Tabu on TV1 news tonight has finally given the date of strike commencement.

Thursday 2nd August at 8 am FICTU is to "TOOLS DOWN"! According to Tabu, all talks have broken down and has called a general nation wide strike to make the country listen to their grievances.

Latest reports say that this has been rejected by the Illegal Interim cabinet.

Taniela Tabu also said, "Our demands were clear that Government immediately retain the compulsory retirement age at 60 for all government workers and the restoration of the 5 percent pay cut immediately."

"Unfortunately Cabinet has rejected this and I question this decision," Tabu said. Tabu blamed interim Finance Minister Mahendra Chaudhry for the decision and called for his axing. "I have only one person to blame and that is the interim Minister for Finance Mahendra Chaudhry after he claimed that he cannot meet our demands."

Tabu said that the deal last month between the interim Government and two other public sector unions, over similar grievances, was brokered by rival umbrella union body, Fiji Trade Union Congress (FTUC). He said that deal was "political" and asked "who is really in control of the Government".

He said that Commodore Bainimarama should think twice about having Chaudhry in Government. However, Commodore Bainimarama said Cabinet is running the Government and not Chaudhry. He said the stand by Cabinet would not change "with or without" Chaudhry. Chaudhry is a union leader and the leader of the Fiji Labour Party. "

THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN!

It's high time the Illegal Interin Regime climb off their sanctimonious high chairs and start writing out their resignation letters. With the strike date looming with a little more than 24 hours away, this regime will not be sleeping comfortably in their beds tonight!

Let's see what tricks Mr. Chaudary has up his sleeve to avert a national disaster of magnanimous proportions.

Here is list of FICTU affiliates given by radical WFC:

Airports Fiji Limited Staff Ass.

BP & Carpenter Group Staff Ass

Fiji Cane Growers Ass.

Fiji Hotels & Allied Industries Employees Union

Fiji Islands & Revenue & Customs Authority Officers & Staff Ass

Fiji Longshoremen & Staff Ass

Fiji Post & Telecom Employees Ass

Fiji Security Employees Union

Fijian Teachers Ass

Native Land Trust Board Employees Ass

Nothern Taxis Ass

National Union of Municipal Workers

Pafco Staff Ass

Public Employees Union

Suva City Council Staff AssTransport Workers Union

Viti National Union of Taukei Workers

Vatukaula MineWorkers Saff Ass

Vanua Levu Fijian Timber workers

The nurses are at 14oo strong. The FTA are expecting 4000 of their members to be sitting down. The rest of the FICTU affiliates may just take the number to beyond 10,000 of Fiji's labour force. This is quite a large number. Wth these strikers willing to forego their pay packets, of course, less spending is to be expected, thereby affecting other sectors of the economy.

They have the government at their mercy now. This Illegal Interim Regime should not have counted their chickens before they hatched. Looks like all their chooks are dead!