Trade unions from across the Pacific convened for a climate symposium in Nadi on September 2, organised by Public Services International (PSI), Fiji Nurses Association (FNA), and Fiji Public Services Association (FPSA). The event brought together nearly 50 delegates from nations including Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Vanuatu, to address the needs and challenges faced by public health workers amid the escalating climate crisis.

Judith Kotobalavu, General Secretary of FPSA, emphasised the critical role public service workers play in responding to climate disasters, stating, " The effects of the climate crisis have become more pronounced with previously unthinkable storms, floods, droughts, and forest fires. Emergency service workers, land management workers, local government workers, nurses, and other health workers are directly responding to more frequent and severe climate events. Yet, they are often excluded from policy discussions regarding the climate crisis.”

The symposium called for the inclusion of public service workers in climate discussions and the promotion of quality public services to effectively mitigate, adapt, and respond to climate impacts. Delegates advocated for a just transition, ensuring that public service workers are key participants in all stages of climate action, and for urgent measures to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Rev James Bhagwan, General Secretary of the Pacific Conferences of Churches, talked about the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative, a global network of governments, civil society organisations, academics, scientists, youth activists, health professionals, faith institutions, Indigenous peoples and others to campaign for a faster transition to renewable energy for everyone. The Treaty was established in 2016 and called for a ban on coal mining. It is crucial for the Pacific Islands to limit global warming to 1.5 degree Celcius as they will be among the worst affected if sea levels rise. Other climate catastrophes also impact the islands the most.

“While there are more takers among governments of the Pacific Islands, the track record of the Australian Government has been disappointing. Australia is among the world’s top coal producers, and successive governments have shown no inclination to reduce Australia’s fossil fuel exports. We urge the Government to join with our family in the Pacific and sign on to the treaty. We also expect the government to work on our demands regarding climate crisis seriously,” said Tom Reddington, PSI’s Sub-regional Secretary for Oceania. PSI was the first global union to endorse the Treaty.

Frontline workers and their communities bear the brunt of climate disasters. Most of these workers are in public services, and poor working conditions hinder the delivery of quality public services. Staff shortages, low salaries, gender and racial discrimination, and a lack of dignity and respect make their lives difficult.

The night shift allowance that was removed in the 2011 review of the General Orders of Fiji needs to be reviewed and reinstated, “This allowance was given for working during unsocial hours of work. Imagine the nurses working the 12 hours’ night shift, and not being given a decent meal, let alone not getting this night shift allowance. Surely, it will have a trickling effect on the delivery of services by the nurse. Female nurses also face gender-based violence and harassment. Such working conditions are oppressive and cannot allowed to continue,” said Filomena Talawadua, General Secretary, FNA.

In 2022, PSI conducted research into the Green Climate Fund to assess the degree to which international climate finance is supporting the development of quality public services, with special focus on Fiji. The report showed that international climate finance was not strengthening the capacity of quality public services which communities on the frontline of the crisis desperately need.

“Unfortunately, the dominate public policy response to the climate crisis over the last decades has been directed by the neoliberal economic regime. This has focused on the public sector subsidising the private sector for “green growth” to reduce carbon pollution and create new low carbon industries. This has also diminished the role of the public sector through liberalisation, de-regulation and privatisation. While the climate crisis has intensified globally, governments' ability to act in public interest has been eroded. Austerity measures have led to workforce reductions, attacks on pay and working conditions, and job outsourcing,” said Duane Leo, National Secretary, New Zealand Public Service Association and PSI’s lead in Oceania.

The symposium concluded with delegates outlining strategies to bolster quality public services, organise workers, and advocate for worker safety and health in the face of climate change.