Nursing Personnel Convention, 1977 (No. 149) - Fiji (Ratification: 2008)

Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2019, published 109th ILC session (2021)

Article 2 of the Convention. National policy concerning nursing services and nursing personnel. The Government indicates in its report that a number of measures have been taken with regard to the training and development of nurses. These measures include training in hospitals abroad to provide nurses with exposure to advanced clinical expertise and public health programmes, including training in medical teams deployed for an assignment in the Golan Heights. The Government also provides for in-country training and professional development with, inter alia, sponsorship of post-graduate training in midwifery practice, and opportunities for holders of Diplomas in Nursing to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Nursing programme. The Fiji College of Nursing, the Division of Nursing, the Fiji National University and the TISI Sangam College of Nursing offer training and professional development opportunities, including in-service trainings. In addition, through the Ministry of Health, a number of initiatives have been taken to re-evaluate nurses’ wages. Under the recent Job Evaluation (JEE), which covers all civil servants, nursing was moved up to a new salary band, resulting in a new starting salary for registered nurses of 20,163.00 Fijian dollars (FJD). Moreover, in August 2017, the Government announced that it had allocated 800 positions for the newly created category of “nursing specialist”, with a starting salary of FJD$28,605.00. The Committee also notes the information provided by the Government that nursing stakeholders had collectively pursued a Fair Pay initiative via the Fiji Nursing Association. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on the results of these measures and programmes, and to keep it informed of new initiatives adopted or envisaged after consultation with the competent nursing institutions and the Fiji Nurses Association, which aims to improve the status and working conditions of nurses, to attract them to the profession and retain them.

Article 7. Occupational health and safety. The Committee notes the Government’s commitment to finalization of the Work Care Bill, which is still under consideration. It also notes that funds have been allocated to hire a consultant to review the Workers Compensation Bill, which is part of the Work Care Bill. The Committee requests the Government to keep the Office informed of any progress concerning the finalization of the work-care decree and to transmit a copy of the new legislation once it has been adopted.

Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2013, published 103rd ILC session (2014)

Article 2 of the Convention. National policy concerning nursing services and nursing personnel. The Committee notes the adoption of the Nursing Decree 2011 which replaces the Nurses and Midwives Act, and regulates nursing practice, nursing education, registration, professional development, and the roles and functions of nursing institutions such as the Fiji Nursing Council and the Fiji College of Nursing. In response to the Committee’s request for information on policies and measures designed to retain qualified nurses in the profession, the Government explains that it has undertaken initiatives to improve the working conditions of nursing personnel, including a 3 per cent salary increase in 2011, a remote allowance and rent-free accommodation for nurses serving in rural areas, and increased training opportunities in the last three years. With regards to the private nursing sector, the Government indicates that 90 per cent of nurses in the private sector are registered under the Fiji Nursing Council and are members of the Fiji Nurses Association, with which management conducts all consultations. The Committee understands, however, that difficulties for the nursing profession persist, including overseas migration, low earnings, long hours and particularly challenging working conditions in rural areas. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide up-to-date information on any measures, programmes or initiatives, adopted after consultation with the competent nursing institutions and the Fiji Nurses Association, and intended to improve the working conditions of nurses and offer them sufficient incentives to retain them in the profession.

Article 7. Occupational health and safety. The Committee notes the Government’s indication that a draft work-care decree, which is currently under preparation, will replace the Health and Safety at Work Act, 1996, with a view to improving standards and ensuring more effective implementation of occupational health policies. The Government adds that it is taking steps to establish a code to address specific measures for the occupational safety and health risks faced by nursing personnel. The Committee requests the Government to keep the Office informed on any progress concerning the finalization of the work-care decree and to transmit a copy of the new legislation once it has been adopted.

Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2011, published 101st ILC session (2012)

Article 1(3) of the Convention. Nursing personnel. The Committee requests the Government to indicate whether any special rules concerning nursing personnel giving nursing care and nursing services on a voluntary basis have been established and if so, to provide additional information on the manner in which employers’ and workers’ organizations concerned were consulted and to supply a copy of those provisions.

Article 2(2). National policy. The Committee notes that both the Ministry of Health’s Strategic Plan for 2011–15 and the Ministry of Health’s Annual Corporate Plan for 2011 acknowledge the need for policies focusing on staff retention. However, it appears that neither of them contains specific measures on improving the terms and conditions of employment of nursing personnel. The Committee accordingly requests the Government to further elaborate on policies and measures seeking to ensure that nursing personnel is offered employment and working conditions, including possibilities of professional advancement and levels of remuneration, that are likely to attract persons in the profession and to retain them in it.

Article 3. Nursing education and training. The Committee notes the Government’s indication that the Nurses Decree, currently under review, should soon repeal the Nurses, Midwives and Nurse Practitioners Act, 1999, and implement a competency-based training. The Committee requests the Government to provide additional information on the content and purpose of the new draft legislation and to transmit a copy of the Nurses Decree once it has been adopted.

Article 5(1). Planning of nursing services. The Committee notes the Government’s indication that nursing personnel in the public sector participates in the planning of nursing services, through regular meetings at subdivisional, divisional and national levels. However, no information is supplied on the manner in which participation and consultation of nursing personnel employed in the private sector is ensured. The Committee therefore requests the Government to provide additional information on any specific measures ensuring the participation of nursing personnel employed in the private sector in the planning of nursing services and the consultation with such personnel on decisions concerning them.

Article 5(2). Determination of conditions of employment. The Committee notes the Government’s indication that in the private sector, the terms and conditions of work are negotiated individually between the employer and the nurse. The Committee accordingly requests the Government to provide additional information on any steps taken to promote collective bargaining in the private health sector, as seems to be the case in the public sector.

Article 6. Conditions of work. The Committee notes that the Government does not specify in its report whether the Employment Relations Promulgation, 2007 applies also to nursing personnel or whether their conditions of work are regulated by special laws or regulations. The Committee therefore requests the Government to provide clarifications in this regard. The Committee would also appreciate receiving copies of the General Orders applicable to nursing personnel in the public sector.

Article 7. Occupational health and safety. The Committee notes that neither the Health and Safety at Work Act, 1996 and its Regulations nor the National Code of Practice for HIV/AIDS in the Workplace, 2008 contain any specific measures addressing the special occupational safety and health risks faced by nursing personnel. The Committee therefore requests the Government to indicate any concrete measures taken or envisaged to improve the existing legislation on occupational safety and health by adapting it to the special nature of nursing work and of the environment in which it is carried out.