“How powerful your union is depends on how connected your people are.” – Kelera Rokomatanimoce.
Five public sector union organisers from Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu recently spent a week with Australian sister unions in Sydney, exchanging organising strategies and learning from each other’s experiences.
The exchange is part of Building Union Power for Quality Public Services in Pacific Island Countries, a joint initiative of Public Services International (PSI) Education International (EI), and Union Aid Abroad–APHEDA.
The broader two-year program is strengthening the capacity of public-sector unions across the Pacific to organise workers, develop union leaders, bargain effectively, and advocate for quality public services and education for all.
The five participating organisers — Cilia Nasaroa from the Fiji Public Service Association, Sitiveni Tuvou from the Fiji Nurses Association, Abraham Matafolu from the PNG Public Employees Association, Corine Ramouki from the Solomon Islands Public Employees Union, and Beverly Boule from the Vanuatu Association of Public Sector Employees — were hosted by Australian sister unions including the Community and Public Service Union (CPSU), NSW Nurses and Midwives Association (NMA), Public Services Association NSW (PSA), Australian Services Union NSW & ACT (ASU) and United Services Union (USU).
For the organisers, the week was not simply about learning how Australian unions work. They saw organising in action, compared different industrial systems and shared new ideas with other Pacific organisers. They were also able to share how unions operate in the Pacific, all while forging lasting bonds of friendship and solidarity.
Learning by doing
For Beverly Boule, working alongside the USU offered a firsthand look at both the possibilities and limitations created by different labour laws.
While visiting Western Sydney, she joined unionists during a strike by council workers and learned about their right to take industrial action.
“In Vanuatu, the minister has the power to cancel a strike, and we need to plan ahead as we have to put in a 30-day notice,” she explained.
She also visited NSW Parliament with USU organiser Peter and recruiter Jessie, observing how they approach organising among parliamentary staff. Watch Peter’s reflections HERE
The experience reinforced something she had learned throughout her organising career: knowledge is power.
“Research is key to defending our rights, as many people don’t even know the labour laws — sometimes not even ministers or parliamentarians.”
But what really stuck with her was experiencing a relentless attitude.
“I’ve learned here not to give up. Even if at some moment I’m not recruiting members, or if a boss says ‘no’ to our demands. I’ve learned how to maintain calm and keep pushing.”
For Abraham Matafolu, the exchange highlighted the importance of regular and proactive communication with members.
“Unions communicate regularly with their members. We are more reactive,” he said of the experience in PNG. “When you (Australian organisers) identify new legislation, you quickly communicate it with members.”
A visit to Blacktown reinforced for him that organising happens where workers are.
“You look for the issues; you don’t wait at the office for something to happen.”
These are practical lessons that can be taken back and adapted to different Pacific contexts, where public sector workers are organising for decent work so that they can defend the public services for their communities the public services for their communities.
For Cilia Nasaroa, the value of the exchange goes beyond individual organising techniques and has helped foster a network among public sector organisers in the Pacific nations and Australia:
“The relationship, lessons and solidarity will stay with us. We leave better equipped to organise our workers. We support the strength of our region and will continue to build partnerships and a shared vision for decent work.”
Weaving our strength
The exchange is part of a much broader effort to ensure that organising tools are grounded in Pacific cultures and experiences.
As part of the program, organisers have developed an innovative Pasifika Organising Module that combines international organising approaches with culturally relevant knowledge.
They draw an example from a familiar tradition across the Pacific: weaving a mat.
The concept was developed with the support of the program coordinator, Kelera Rokomatanimoce, the Young Worker Convener of the Fijian Teachers Association, and was first tested at a Fijian national organising workshop in April.
“Weaving a mat is a collective process. One strand alone is fragile, but woven together, many strands create something strong enough to support people.
The same is true of a union,” she explained.
One strand is a worker. Strength comes from weaving those workers together. The stronger the connections between people, the stronger their union power.
The module translates seven steps of mat-making into seven stages of organising:
The metaphor resonates across the Pacific because it connects organising to knowledge, culture, community and collective strength.
Solidarity across borders
The goal is not to replicate Australian union models in the Pacific. It is about people-to-people links and developing tools that work in local contexts.
The experience of these five organisers demonstrates the value of regional solidarity. Australian unions have decades of organising experience to share, while Pacific unions bring their own knowledge, strategies and cultural approaches that can strengthen the wider labour movement.
This project is supported by the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and the Australian Council of Trade Unions through Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA’s Partnerships for Decent Work in the Indo-Pacific program.
