#BTColumn – What the trade union can do

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by this author are their own and do not represent the official position of the Barbados Today Inc.

by Daria Michelle Cave

These past few years I’ve realised many members of our trade unions may not realise all that the trade union can do for us, its members. It is not at all only about disputes between employer and employee.

Really, what are the types of things a trade union ought to be doing for us? Well, we have a lot of people walking around lately bandying around reasons we should have things in Barbados costing even more than they do. Visitors and Barbadians know Barbados is one of the most expensive places to live and visit, but do we ever ask ourselves why that is?

Well, we have a governmental department called The Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs.

Since they are tasked with promoting, developing and advising on commerce and consumer affairs, as well as facilitating and informing fair and safe trading practices, can they tell us matter-of-factly,
why prices are so high.

Though they are ensuring that goods are reasonably priced, and that the importation and exportation of goods, is undertaken in accordance with international trading agreements … can someone say why is a package of nuts $5.00 in the gas station and $3.50 in supermarket 1 and $2.50 in supermarket 2? This phenomenon of pricing did not just happen today. It happened five years ago, 10 years ago, it’s been happening. What we have to ask, is why?

How about if I pose the question about the products we consume in Barbados – do they meet national standards and specifications? Who tells us this? Well, this agency is tasked to look out for this.

BARP took it upon itself and requested lately that the packaging of products, have clearly labelled contents and ingredients of any product, on the front of the packaging.

BARP did. DCC does, but consumers need a civilian-led agency, like the trade unions too, to look out for them.

Who is maintaining an environment of well-organised and highly informed consumers? This should be the task of a third party, working with the governmental agencies, to ensure a strong consumer group is looking out for the consumers of Barbados. This has to be what your union does for you, if it doesn’t, leave and join one that does.

The trade unions have the resources. They have the resources, the high cost of living has been challenging members for ages, why do we not have a viable consumer group? Why? After all of these years, a membership taken care of in these ways would be a vital membership and interested in making way for real service to its members. Let us look further.

You know, we have a Fair Trading Commission here too. Its job is three-fold. It is about promoting consumer protection, promoting fair competition amongst commercial entities and utility regulation. A mammoth task. With a tight staff they perform an unenviable amount of work.

While they are designed to be the guardians of consumers’ rights, educating the public, investigating complaints by consumers and monitoring businesses’ promotional materials, they are also tasked with eliminating anti-competitive practices, promoting competition…all through Barbados…

Hold on, their work is not finished as yet!

They are also the watchdog agency, monitoring and regulating FLOW, otherwise known as Cable & Wireless Barbados Ltd, The Barbados Light and Power Company Ltd and the Barbados Water Authority.

Now before you laugh or cry yourself off this page, note the FTC is to oversee rates and service standards and investigate queries and complaints made by the public. That would be you…

Granted we are an island of 350,000, but do they have a staff of hundreds? How do they handle all of that? Is it not obvious that there is a gaping hole of necessity here?

We are clear the FTC does not advocate for price regulation because the market has to be allowed to discipline players. This is clear economics. If customers believe that prices are too high, they are free to go elsewhere.

This is the free market we operate in…this ‘choosing ability’ says to the supplier to lower prices or do something that would add value and beckon the intended customer. The competitive process is activated.

Calling a third entity in, not aligned with government or the private sector, is so needed to work alongside them, looking out for the basic consumer.

Let us take our above example. In Barbados, we are hearing that prices are rising, we are seeing prices rising, threatening to rise even higher.We ask ourselves, who sets the prices on things, and who says too much is over much? Ok.

There are concerns about the state of the economy and our ability to recover given our dependence on tourism. Yes, we will make a valiant effort and there is every indication we will come out in stellar fashion, but there is obvious concern about the ability to pay salaries and the provision of critical services. This cost of living escalating is not a scenario Barbadians are in the least interested in right now.

There has to be an agency meeting these fears and issues head on. Who for instance, ensures that services like electricity are affordable?Who is mapping out a policy to promote the adoption of hybrid/electric vehicles?Will there be a switch to biofuels (ethanol) for combustion engines?

Energy is a prime input in any productive sector and affordable energy rates are imperative if we are to be competitive. Who is looking after these concerns?

Government cannot and should not be thinker, piper and chief bottle washer. There has to be member-driven agencies like trade unions, up to the task of partnering with government and walking the country
through challenging policymaking, like consumer protection.

This has to be part of what your union does for you, if it doesn’t, leave and join one that does. The unions have the resources, call on them to make the way. We have been hearing promises of a consumer group for years, but we know pretty words, a policy or proactivity, do not make.

We desperately need a non-aligned consumer body in Barbados. We have a consumer protection agency in place but there are a few spaces – holes that are gaping – that need to be filled. We need someone, a mechanism to field complaints/queries. We need a public relations and advocacy team to sensitise and walk the public through the issues and processes, needed to be taken.

We need legal and research officers to define and protect the pathways to be taken. Yes, it would be useful to establish links with the FTC, the Dept. of Commerce, the Office of the Public Counsel. These agencies deal with different elements of consumer protection. This need is so startling … where is the agency for us, the public, the consumer?

The mandate of receiving and handling complaints is split across agencies at the moment. There is no lobbying presence to work alongside these agencies to see that there is indeed policing, progress.

The agencies have to follow a process which can take a while.A civilian lobby is necessary, a civilian lobby can help the process along, and can be dedicated solely to the consumer, the trade union member.

For example, the consumer protection issues on the table now that could be benefitting from a union-led consumer group:

Should BWA adjust customers’ water bill in light of the ashfall clean-up? Is the Telecom service consistent re quality? Should FLOW change channels outside of notifying customers?

Can these providers increase their rates, outside of notifying customers?Can we keep our numbers if we switch providers? Car valuations – Government may be ahead of the ball on this one, announcing just recently, that there would be an acceptance of valuations from certified garages.

Now if a non governmental organization were to institutionalise the consumer group, civilians would have a third party, an independent entity. This would help the private sector too – growing them and their marketability.

Existing agencies try to be objective. Nothing stops a lobby from representing consumers. Such an agency can even highlight issues that the consumer is not aware of. Remember, the agencies are operating under all types of constraints, financial and technical constraints, social too.

Should the unions take this on, they will have to make the process more amenable, more accessible – another point for a union-led consumer protection agency, a self-sufficient one – working for its members. Is there not scope for this at the union level?Yes, of course there is. There has to be. The trade union has to be about the members’ concerns and interests.

Daria Michelle Cave is a teacher, a bee-keeper and a council member of the NUPW.