The possibility of widespread industrial action was narrowly averted on Thursday when the management of Preconco Limited surrendered to trade union demands after a meeting with Labour and Social Relations Minister Colin Jordan.
General Secretary of the Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU) Toni Moore this morning led approximately 85 per cent of staff off the job and hinted at escalating the action if their requests were not met.
The workers were responding to “fundamental breaches” of the country’s labour laws that saw eight employees suspended for attending a meeting on Wednesday with the labour minister over pay increases and other outstanding matters.
At around 11 a.m., Moore declared that the suspensions represented an injustice that went well beyond the level of individual or company grievances and extended to the union as an institution.
However, by 4 p.m., the company sent fresh letters to the suspended shop stewards informing them that the disciplinary measures would be rescinded. The union was further informed that a meeting, chaired by the Minister of Labour would convene early next week on the substantive matters that included a 10-year period where workers receive no pay increases.
“Under the circumstances, the issue that brought the workers off the job has been addressed, and we have a new date for the meeting that should have taken place [on Wednesday] proposed for Monday and the Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU) has asked the workers to resume their duties,” Moore said in a statement.
“We will go to the meeting and we will treat to the principal issues that we had hoped to treat to [on Wednesday] which relate to outstanding pay and a number of other issues that have been before the Minister of Labour,” she added.
In a separate statement that followed four hours of discussion with management of the concrete manufacturing company, Minister Jordan confirmed that the issue of the union delegates’ “suspension-with-pay” was addressed.
“There had been some misunderstanding concerning the parameters of the meeting and the company has retracted the letters with immediate effect and has informed the workers and representatives, accordingly,” he said.
Earlier in the day, the BWU General Secretary warned that if the suspension of union delegates went unaddressed, it would set a dangerous precedent for other employers to potentially follow. She added that the action was even more critical in an environment where jobs are limited and workers are becoming increasingly afraid to stand up for their rights.
“And actually that is what a lot of workers are feeling. Understanding that they have rights, but frightened to stand up for their rights because it might cost them their job and that must be the concern going through your minds. Many people are afraid to stand up for their rights in the COVID-19 environment,” Moore told the workers earlier in the day.
“This is no longer about you, the workers of Preconco. This is no longer about the shop stewards at Preconco. This issue is now a trade union and a BWU grievance,” she added.
The union leader also rubbished claims that the union agreed to allow just four BWU delegates to attend Wednesday’s meeting, suggesting that it was a one-sided pronouncement from the company and is in fact contrary to the BWU’s statutes.
“There was never an agreement made with the BWU… to say that our delegation will be limited. So that is the law. And then, we look to the BWU’s constitution. Our constitution for delegations or divisions to have representation speaks to a division having a president, a vice president, a secretary and no fewer than four other people, but no more than 12. It means that by our own constitution, the BWU can have delegations of shop stewards [consisting] seven people, but no more than 15 people, and all of that is what we went through last year.
(kareemsmith@barbadostoday.bb)
