Reports have emerged that the University of the South Pacific (U.S.P.) Council has voted to relocate Vice Chancellor Professor Pal Ahluwalia to the main campus in Fiji from Samoa.

According to reports, the move comes on the heels of a pivotal meeting held in Vanuatu last week. 

It was reported that USP Council members voted 21 to 4 in favour of Prof. Ahluwalia's relocation to the Laucala Campus in Suva, Fiji. 

This move addresses a crucial demand put forth by the embattled unions, namely the Association of the University of the South Pacific Staff and the Administration and Support Staff Union.

Central to the unions' grievances are concerns over backdated salary adjustments totaling approximately FJ$13.8 million, coupled with various other labor-related issues. 

Prof. Ahluwalia's absence from the main campus in Fiji, where the bulk of administrative functions are centralised, has been a bone of contention, exacerbating tensions between the administration and staff representatives.

Since 2021, Prof. Ahluwalia operated from the University's Samoa Campus, following a brief tenure in Nauru. His relocation stemmed from his deportation from Fiji in February of the same year under the former government. 

Despite a subsequent lifting of the ban by the Fijian government last February, Prof. Ahluwalia's continued presence in Samoa and frequent travels to and from Fiji had drawn criticism from union leaders, who highlighted concerns over escalating costs.

Reuben Colata, President of the Administration and Support Staff Union, expressed satisfaction at the news of Prof. Ahluwalia's return to the Laucala Campus, emphasizing the potential cost savings for the university. He revealed that a combined staff union paper was presented to members of the USP Council ahead of the decisive meeting, underscoring the collective concerns of the university workforce.

Prof. Ahluwalia's current contract is slated to expire in August, with the Council previously voting to extend his tenure by an additional two years until August 2026. 

Attempts have been made to get comments from Prof. Ahluwalia following this development. 

However, the journey to this decision has been fraught with challenges, as highlighted by Prof. Ahluwalia himself in a December interview. He acknowledged the complexities surrounding his relocation, attributing the final decision to the Pro-Chancellor and the governments of Samoa and Fiji.

Notably, Prof. Ahluwalia disclosed that Samoa had initially opposed his return to Fiji when the USP staff union advocated for his relocation to the campus headquarters.

Prof. Ahluwalia agreed that he would need to relocate to Fiji because it's the regional university's headquarters. He said he would only leave until Samoa had given him its blessings. 

"My contract says that I'm to be employed in Samoa but at some point, I would need to relocate because the headquarters is in Fiji," Prof. Ahluwalia said in an earlier interview. 

"There are two things that nobody is talking about. The first thing is that my contract says I have to be employed by USP at the Samoa Campus and when they issued me with a new contract after my re-appointment, there were no changes made to the contract. 

"I've also informed the Council that I want to thank Samoa deeply, for what they did for me. 

"They have been a fantastic host and when things are good, you just don't say to the people who have been really good to you that you are leaving. You need to respect what they did for you and I have the utmost respect for the leaders and the people of this country."