SUVA, May 9 (Xinhua) -- A total of 265 Air Terminal Services (ATS) workers in Fiji have been confirmed to return to work after being laid off during the COVID-19 pandemic period, local media reported on Tuesday.
These workers will return to work after the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the ATS and the Federated Airline Staff Association on Tuesday.
ATS Board Chair Shradha Sharma told Fiji Broadcasting Corporation News that they will immediately take on board around 113 to 119 staff members, while the remaining will return in stages.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Biman Prasad said the MoU is evidence of the tripartite relations that Fiji's coalition government is trying to achieve.
The workers have been congratulated for their successful bid to have their jobs back.
ATS also admitted they are understaffed, and the return of these workers will not have an impact on those who have recently been recruited by the company.
During the height of the pandemic, the airlines and resorts in Fiji experienced a significant drop in demand and redundancy of workers.
Fiji depends heavily on tourism, its main revenue earner, which accounts for about 38 percent of the island nation's gross domestic product. ■