HONOLULU (September 2) - Dr. Sitiveni Halapua, director of the East-West Center Pacific Islands Development Program, has been tapped to facilitate negotiations aimed at settling the six-week-old public servants' strike in Tonga.
The Tongan-born Halapua has facilitated the "Talanoa" process in Fiji since a civilian coup in 2000. A Polynesian concept, "Talanoa" provides an open forum for addressing differing perspectives on sensitive issues. The "Talanoa" process has resulted in a series of high-level dialogues among political leaders representing the diverse population in Fiji.
On September 1, the Tongan government offered the workers a temporary pay raise of 60% to 80% if they return to work while negotiations continue to resolve the wage dispute.
The appointment of Sitiveni Halapua as the facilitator was made by Princess Regent's Royal Command and was agreed to by the civil servants negotiation team, which includes Honorable Fielakepa, the Minister of Land, as chairman; Honorable Tu'a Taumoepeau, the Minister of Foreign Affairs; and Honorable Fred Sevele, Minister of Labor and Commerce.
In Tonga, the negotiating teams, with Halapua as the facilitator, met for the first time on September 1 in Nukualofa.