Summit presses govts, employers with own jobs recovery plan

A summit of Caribbean trade unions affiliated with the International Transport Workers’ Federation has tabled their own recovery plan for the ailing tourism industry and thousands of lost jobs amid fears of a rise in poverty.

At a virtual meeting Wednesday, the unions’ leaders said the plan prioritises employment security, guarantees free and universal access to vaccines and re-establishes safe travel corridors.  They noted that travel restrictions imposed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic have had a devastating impact on tourism-dependent economies.

Yet the leaders called on Governments and employers to draft a blueprint for regional tourism recovery.

Tourism, which generates over $59 billion per year for the region lost an estimated $26.4 billion due to the ongoing impact of the pandemic, according to the Federation, which estimated that over 1.2 million jobs have been lost.

It further expressed concern that not only have the job losses hit hard but the spending power of workers have been significantly reduced leading to the risk of widespread poverty and stagnation of economic growth.

The officials, therefore, stressed that long-term development and recovery plans in the region are critical.

ITF General Secretary Stephen Cotton said: “The Caribbean is too important to ignore, and we have a duty to protect the infrastructure and livelihoods of those workers who make visiting so appealing to millions of tourists each year.

“We need a tripartite plan from governments, employers and unions for recovery. Listening to the concerns of our leaders today, it’s clear that we need action now. Investment in developing regional transport infrastructure is a good place to start.”

The grouping said special attention must be paid to the pandemic’s impact on the livelihoods of women and young workers who have borne the brunt of the industry’s job losses.  ITF Tourism Chair David Messiah called for a joint regional approach to ensure that these workers can safely resume their jobs.

“These are the very groups of workers so critical to eradicating poverty in the Caribbean and needed in the industry’s recovery,” said Massiah, general secretary of the Antigua and Barbuda Workers Union (ABWU).

“Our regional partners must work with us to re-establish safe travel corridors and assist in access to vaccines. We need a coordinated approach across the Caribbean and should not rely on individual nation states as this only adds to the confusion. We must develop a unified approach that pools our resources together.”

But amid the call to get tourism workers back on the job, ITF Regional Secretary Edgar Diaz stressed there must be no move to mandate vaccines for employees.

“It is vitally important that workers do not feel forced to have the vaccination, education and engagement is key if we are to encourage participation. That’s why establishing a tripartite approach is fundamental to success and not fear and intimidation of individual workers.”

Trade union leaders from Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Bermuda, Dominican Republic, Guyana, Grenada, Jamaica, Suriname, St Lucia, Trinidad took part in the summit. (SD)