The Air Terminal Services Management has welcomed the decision of the Employment Tribunal that requires ATS workers who walked off their jobs on 16th December last year to return to work.
The management says this is the best possible outcome from the situation; ATS employees are set to return to work, while also being held accountable for their unlawful action.
As articulated in the decision, ATS does not view this outcome as a win for either party, but more a win for the value of Fijian employment law.
In response to the Employment Tribunal a statement was made by the ATS Management noting that the decision from the Tribunal does not prevent any disciplinary measures from being taken against the workers for abandoning their positions and engaging in an unlawful walkout.
The Statement says that while acknowledging that the decision requires the workers to return to their posts, ATS is seeking further legal advice on certain aspects of the Tribunal decision to consider additional legal steps.
ATS says that it also fully endorses the way forward articulated in the decision that calls for a partnered approach in resolving any and all issues that arise in the workplace.
The statement adds that ATS will also be implementing certain security measures to prevent any further economic sabotage from taking place in the workplace to ensure there are no serious disruptions to ATS services and threats to the Fijian economy in the future as this is of particular concern for ATS given the politicization of the situation by some actors.
The statement also thanked ATS employees who have remained in their posts since 16th December, along with the staff of Fiji Airways, Air New Zealand and the Hotel Association and other stakeholders for helping to provide uninterrupted air terminal services, ensuring that the Nadi Airport continued to operate during this period.