Fiji’s Textile Clothing Footwear Council is seriously concerned with the consequences of further trade sanctions proposed by the Australian Council of Trade Unions as it will threaten over 4,000 jobs.

President Kalpesh Solanki is also questioning why the ACTU is embarking on a fact-finding mission after they have publicly targeted industries in Fiji.

Solanki said ACTU’s campaign will affect over 4,000 people directly employed in the industry.

He said the impact will also be on the contribution that the industry makes to Fiji’s economy in terms of export revenue which stands at $95 million, job creation, poverty alleviation and investment.

Solanki said in October, ACTU president Ged Kearney said in an interview with Radio Australia that “we will ask Australian companies not to buy clothes that are made in Fiji. We will actually start hopefully having an impact on the economy there that the government will have to take notice of.”

In another interview earlier this month, Kearney said that “we are looking at further trade sanctions. We are asking the Australian government to examine current trade agreements with Fiji.”

Solanki said the textile industry is just recovering from a massive 25 percent reduction in export in 2009 and 2010 and further sanctions will hit them hard.

He said it is also concerning that the ACTU is seeking to find facts a few months after publicly announcing the campaign against the industry.


Story by: Vijay Narayan