Bronwen Beechey & Andrew Martin, Auckland
The historic public servants' strike in the south Pacific country of Tonga ended on September 3 after the government agreed to the strikers' demands for 60-80% rises in pay. A memorandum of understanding signed by representatives of the government and the Public Service Association also agreed that no disciplinary action would be taken against strikers, and that the salary review that led to the six-week strike be suspended for two years.
The PSA added a clause to the memorandum calling for a royal commission to be established immediately "to review the constitution to allow a more democratic government to be established". While the government negotiators did not agree to the immediate establishment of a royal commission, they did accept that the issue of democracy was a serious concern to the strikers, and undertook to submit the PSA concerns to cabinet.
The settlement of the strike took place less than 24 hours after up to 3000 people in New Zealand took part in a rally and march through Auckland in support of the Tongan workers. The crowd of mainly Tongan, Maori and Samoan people heard speakers from unions, churches and political parties speak in support of the strike.
Tongan strike leader Fotu Fisiiahi told the protest: "We are here to tell the whole world that Tonga needs justice. The public servants of Tonga are very much part of the working poor. We have committed the best part of our working lives to the country and have received nothing in return. We want wage justice. Without the people there is no Tonga, without the people the monarchy would have no power."
Under Tonga's current constitution, 12 of the 14 members of cabinet, including the country's prime minister, are appointed for life by the monarch. The unicameral Legislative Assembly or Fale Alea consists of 30 members, of whom only nine are elected by the people.
On September 6, 10,000 people took part in the largest protest march in Tonga's history, rallying outside the royal palace to demand that King Tafaahau Tupou IV dismiss the prime minister, Prince Ulukalala Lavaka Ata, and all of his 14 cabinet ministers.
A petition with the demand was presented by PSA chairperson Finau Tutone to the king's private secretary, as the crowd waved banners reading "The people want government of the people, for the people and by the people", "Let freedom rule", and "The kingdom is ours".
The petition also demanded the establishment of a royal commission within 12 months to review Tonga's constitution, the dismissal of the secretary of the Public Service Commission, and the return of government assets that had been taken by members of the royal family. The petition also stated that if their demands were not met within one month, the petitioners would hold a referendum on their request.
On September 9, the Fale Alea, which had reconvened the previous day after two weeks of recess due to the strike, voted to go into recess for another two weeks. This move was opposed by the nine People's Representatives.
The Matangi Tonga website reported that at a press conference on September 9 the People's Representatives accused the cabinet ministers of avoiding the issues raised by the strike and subsequent march. They also opposed a request from the Prince Ulukalala, for the assembly to close earlier than the scheduled date in November, to help pay for the civil servants' pay rise.
The struggle for democracy in Tonga looks set to continue, whatever the machinations of the monarchy and its appendages. And its implications go well beyond Tonga, as an article in the September 2005 issue of Unity, a magazine published by the Socialist Worker group, points out.
Sione, a Tongan socialist currently based in the US, states: "Behind the [Tongan] government and royal family are the global institutions of imperialism, backed by the rulers of Australia and New Zealand. For the last few years the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has been pushing the Tongan government to privatise state assets and to restructure the public sector — the very restructure that lead to the strike. They will not be pleased at the current turn of events.
"The people of Tonga do not want slave wages, budget cuts and sky-high prices for privatised utilities that enrich only a few local elite and some foreign investors. This is the reality for many democracies in the developing world. To avoid this trap, the people of Tonga must also organise around economic demands. The privatised utilities must be returned to the people and the wealth should be used, democratically, to develop the country."
According to Grant Morgan from the Workers Charter steering committee, workers in NZ and beyond can learn from the Tongan strikers. "Before this dispute began, there had never been a trade union in Tonga. Now the Public Service Association is one of the most powerful forces in the land. We need to build a workers' movement in Aotearoa [New Zealand] that can shake the system like the PSA in Tonga."
From Green Left Weekly, September 21, 2005.
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