Friday 4th December 2020
The National Federation Party has questioned Fiji Revenue and Customs Service (FRCS) on whether it intends to make redundant 25% of its total workforce by the end of December 2020.
NFP Leader Professor Biman Prasad has asked FRCS Board Chair Fay Yee and Acting Chief Executive Officer Fane Vave to explain why FRCS staff have been asked to convey their “expressions of interest” to take up voluntary redundancy.
“We have been reliably informed that all staff have been asked to convey their answers on whether or not they will accept voluntary redundancy by today (Friday 4th December)”.
“The Board Chair and Acting CEO must answer whether redundancies will be enforced by the end of this month if insufficient numbers or 25% of the total FRCS workforce doesn’t opt for redundancy”.
“They must answer if more than 230 FRCS staff will be made redundant by the end of this month and given only a meagre package of one week’s salary for each year of service”.
“The package offered by FRCS, as reportedly also offered to the FRCS Border Control staff, violates the grossly insufficient package of one month’s salary and one week’s salary for each of service as stipulated in the Employment Relations Act”.
“The last thing needed right now is for any worker to lose his or her job and make it impossible for them to sustain their families’ livelihood”.
“The primary role of FRCS is to collect revenue for the State. If FRCS starts to terminate its staff, it sends very worrying signal about the state of finances and Government’s ability to fulfil its budgetary obligations”.
“It also raises grave doubt about Government’s ability to subsidise wages of new employment generated by the private sector , a policy announced recently by the Economy Minister”.
-ENDS-
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