Fiji miners appeal for foreign help with 19-year strike

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Updated February 9, 2010 16:15:22

Fiji's Mineworkers Union has appealed to both the International Labour Organisation and the International Human Rights Council for help, as they continue their 19-year strike action at the Vatukoula gold mine. Since they walked off the job, the mine has changed ownership more than once, with some proprietors shutting down operations, claiming it was no longer viable.

Right through those changes the FMU has maintained its picketline, but since the military-backed regime scrapped Fiji's constitution last year, all avenues of appeal within Fiji have closed, and now the miners are looking abroad for help.

Presenter: Campbell Cooney, Pacific Correspondent
Speaker: Josefa Sadreu, President, Fiji Mine Workers Union

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