In anticipation of the rising cost of living, Sir Roy Trotman the venerable head of the Barbados Workers Union (BWU) has signaled that he will be expecting double digit wage settlements on behalf of his workers. He made his expectation known at the recent May Day celebration held at Browne’s beach in St. Michael. Prime Minister David Thompson who was invited to speak at the same function, used the occasion to deliver a strong response to the union boss, i.e. his government does not subscribe to using high wage settlements as a counter to rising cost of living.
The publicly stated position of Prime Minister Thompson and that of Sir Roy seems to be building to a certain collision. There is the widely held view by the economists that that there is a delicate relationship between wage and price which MUST be managed with care. Sir Roy has also been quick to remind Barbadians that ‘voluntarism and conciliation” has worked very well for Barbados over the years. He also felt the need to deride the move by government to introduce ‘arbitration’ which is a proposal to revise the labour laws.
A recent communication from BU family Linchh reminded us that we live in a dynamic time. The current environment demands that as people and organizations we must be receptive to using any technique which is known to resolve problems.
Here is a snippet of what Linchh, BU family member wrote:
The point I want to make is that despite the vaunted success of Barbadian “volunteerism” in labour relations (which only means that Bajans resort to common sense when everything else fails) we must be open to ALL appropriate methods of settling disputes. Isn’t there anthing to be learnt from the recent Sandy Lane Hotel, and Royal Shop labour disputes?
The DLP Manifesto for the 2008 General Election contains the following proposals regarding labour and the labour movement: Conversely, a new DLP government will move to immediately enact a comprehensive national Labour Rights legislative compendium which will include the following:
- A Full Employment Rights Act
- An Alternative Disputes Settlement and Arbitration Committee
- A Sexual Harassment in the Workplace Act
- National minimum wages legislation
- Legislation fully recognizing Trade Unions.
Obviously, the pace and content of this programme will need to be discussed, not only with the labour movement, but with other stakeholders, as well, in view of their critical role in the future social and economic development of Barbados. Sir Roy cannot be permitted to mount his high horse and act as if he believes that the new DLP government is a “one trick pony”!
We find the message from the BU family member insightful because it exposes the failure of the tried and trusted dispute method using voluntarism in the Sandy Lane and the Royal Shop saga. Discussions are said to be ongoing, but it is clear that the BWU now finds itself in a defensive position. It should be apparent to Sir Roy and his lieutenants that past models used for making decisions, if taken in the current climate can have a deleterious impact on our economy. Is it unreasonable to expect that going forward industrial relations matters will be viewed more in in the context of their national import – rather than the immediate rights violation of the employee?
Who said that it is a perfect world!
Sir Roy should be concerned that the changing state of the world where mergers and acquisitions and other corporate alliances is progressing at a dizzying pace. This trend is having and will continue to have a destabilizing effect on the global industrial relations climate. How unions attempt to manage this changing landscape will require a flexibility by industrial relation practitioners. The fear of the BU household is Sir Roy and his cohorts resorting to intractable positions based on a traditional dispute resolution approach. An example of the irrelevance of Sir Roy’s out-dates approach is evident in the current Sandy Lane/Royal Shop stand-off.
By the way Sir Roy, we heard your plea directed at the growing Guyanese contingent currently working in Barbados. We appreciate that this is a vulnerable group which some Barbadians have been reported to be exploiting. We also appreciate that the BWU membership maybe dwindling and the Guyanese working population represent an excellent opportunity to swell membership. It should be interesting to see the path the labour movement in Barbados resigns itself to travelling.
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