Fiji Water employees go on strike over pay issues. Photo: Facebook / National Union of Workers - Fiji
A group of workers for Fiji Water have gone on strike at the US-owned company's water bottling plant in Yaqara and the Naikabula depot in Lautoka on the main island Viti Levu on Tuesday.
Local media reports show employees holding signs with messages stating, "pay rise now", "follow the law pay overtime now", and "no more wage theft".
National Union of Workers (NUW) general secretary Felix Anthony, speaking on behalf of the workers, told local media initial talks are scheduled for Tuesday afternoon online between the union and Fiji Water executives from the capital Suva and their US counterparts.
According to a statement by the NUW, the key issues include:
Anthony said the workers voted to take industrial action due to "various long pending issues" between the workers and the management.
"Anthony says the parties have met on numerous occasions and were close to an agreement, on 8th April 2024 when talks broke down. He says members of the union have grown impatient and called for action without delay," the fijivillage.com reported.
RNZ Pacific has contacted Fiji Water for comment.
Fiji Water is owned by US billionaires Stewart and Lynda Resnick and is the top imported premium bottled water in America.
According to the company, its bottled water is imported to over 60 countries around the world.
Last year, the Fijian government announced a seven-year on corporate tax concession for the bottled water industry, saying it was to to encourage new players who wish to enter the industry in Tailevu, Ra and Ba, and existing operators who wish to expand operations.
The move attracted criticism from opposition at the time, who claimed that the new tax regime for the water bottling companies was not justified.
However, the government refuted such claims, saying the Fiji Water company was not exempted from paying taxes in Fiji under the 2023/2024 Budget revenue measures.
