ABout us

History

Our Union history can be traced back to the earliest days of the trade union movement in Fiji. Formed on April 3^rd 1938 in Lautoka as the Mazdur Sangh (Workers Party). Upon registration on 9^th December 1944, our name was changed to the Chini Mazdur Sangh (Sugar Workers Union. 1951 saw the arrival of the Minister of State for the Colonies, Mr Dugdale. An invitation was sent out to the representatives of 5 union organizations to meet with Mr Dugdale on August 14^th. It was at this meeting that the 5 unions (The Chini Mazdur Sangh, Fijian Mineworkers Union, Fiji Airport Employees Union and the Fiji Public Works Department Employees Union) collectively decided that a national organization of workers be formed. The Fiji Industrial Workers Congress was formed on September 29^th 1951 as an umbrella body for the trade union movement. The name of this organization was subsequently changed in 1954 to what we currently know as the Fiji Trades Union Congress. More information on the FTUC can be found at their website here

On March 22^nd 1965, the Chini Mazdur Sangh officially changed its name to The Fiji Sugar and General Workers Union (FSGWU). The name of the union was again changed 50 years later on 25^th September 2015 into our current name National Union of Workers (NUW). With the change of name in 2015 union membership was diversified to include any worker who did not belong to another union. As a result, over the last five years (2015-2020), workers from 25 companies have been recruited with current membership being over 5000. This was strategic decision taken in light of the fact that the sugar industry was contracting and membership levels was declining. We continue to work with the 3 other unions in the sugar industry with an aim to have just one union within the sugar industry.