High expectations this evening that an understanding would be signed to end Tonga's national strike of civil servants, as it entered its seventh week today, were shattered when the PSA committee postponed a scheduled signing indefinitely.

The facilitator of new negotiations that started yesterday evening and continued today, Dr Sitiveni Halapua, said that both parties were congratulating each other after their meeting at 2 pm this afternoon when they agreed to formally sign a Memorandum of Understanding at 5 pm.

However at 5 pm the signing was rescheduled to 8 pm by the PSA.

At 8 pm the press and the Cabinet negotiating team were waiting for the PSA signatories to arrive at the Prime Minister's conference room, but at 8.30 pm, the PSA telephoned the new chairman of the government negotiating team, Hon. Fielakepa, to say they were not coming and that they wanted to postpone the signing of the MOU indefinitely for further discussion with their members.

Dr Halapua said that both parties had agreed with the MOU, and it was just a process of formality to sign it. He said that government was ready to sign the MOU whenever the PSA was ready.

The details of the MOU were not released because it had not been signed, but it was understood that both parties were all set to sign and end the strike, while the negotiators continued further discussions.