last week, Fiji's nurses walked off the job in an effort to have their pay and conditions restored to pre-coup levels. Tomorrow, Fiji's teachers and some of its public servants will follow them. The first strike has proceeded peacefully, with only a few incidents of government retaliation. But all that has now changed. Viti National Union of Taukei Workers general secretary Taniela Tabu - whose members will be going on strike tomorrow - was taken from his home in the middle of the night by armed soldiers, and is apparently being held for "questioning". It's difficult to see this as anything other than an attempt to intimidate the striking workers and force them to accept a pay cut at gunpoint. Meanwhile, Commander Bainimarama is openly accusing the strike of being a ploy to bring down the government, and threatening to delay elections in retaliation.
This is not a good sign. So far, Fiji's military regime has avoided wdespread repression. However, their attitudes to dissent seem to be hardening, and they now seem to be going back on their promise to yield power. unfortunately, I'm not sure that there's much that we in New Zealand can do about it.
