The stalwarts, early members and former leaders of the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) must be more than heartbroken at the way it has fallen from grace.
It is true that the past two years have been challenging for every sector in Barbados. From state agencies to private organisations and individual households, virtually no one has been left untouched by the COVID-19 pandemic.
But the turbulence associated with COVID-19 cannot be blamed for the utterly embarrassing shenanigans that have been unfolding at Dalkeith Road.
The horse racing that occurs a few metres away at the Garrison Savannah pales in comparison to the naked jockeying that has been on display at the public sector union’s base.
The divisiveness, rancour and public feuding exhibited for more than a year represent a serious blot on this important institution.
Since its formation in 1944 as the Civil Service Association and its registration as a trade union on October 15, 1964, the NUPW has produced some formidable leaders who garnered the respect, and sometimes fear, of political and governmental actors.
Names like Nigel Harper, Dennis Clarke, Joseph Goddard, come easily to mind. Harper, an enigmatic, fearless leader with his savvy style and swagger, gave no quarter.
What the public and NUPW members are being treated to now is nothing short of what former late Prime Minister Owen Arthur would describe as “poorakey”.
Granted that the country’s civil servants have been, for the most part, sheltered from the worst socio-economic effects of the pandemic, some may argue that they have less to complain about. The government’s stated policy of protecting civil servants’ jobs has been laudable but in the private sector, there has been a slaughter of jobs.
Access to a consistent income each month or a weekly wage is a premium in the current situation where unemployment is said to be hovering between 25 and 30 per cent, in spite of the officially announced 17.5 per cent.
When it comes to youth unemployment, some contend that at least half the island’s youth are unemployed or under-employed.
The reported steady exit of state workers, either out of the NUPW’s membership altogether or shifted allegiance to the Unity Workers’ Union, is an insight into the challenge the NUPW faces in convincing workers that it is still relevant.
For a union that boasts on its website membership of 10 000 to have less than one-tenth of its base show an interest in the hotly contested recent race for leadership of the organisation is quite telling.
These developments should also be indicated to the NUPW’s leaders that there is a level of dissatisfaction and apathy among its members which should not be ignored.
Barbadian workers, in the private and public sectors, are confronted by too many issues for our labour union leaders to be so absorbed with themselves and their own personal ambitions that they forget whom they serve.
The International Labour Organisation (ILO), in a recent publication about the role of trade unions in the COVID-19 pandemic, said: “Trade unions should regard the crisis as a wake-up call for contributing to building forward better and advancing labour and social agendas.”
The global body added: “Trade unions’ agenda for resilience and empowerment in the context of the COVID-19 crisis and recovery should aim to build political will, contribute to strengthening social dialogue mechanisms, build knowledge and capacity, increase representative capacity, and continue to promote workers’ priorities.”
We suggest that our labour unions have become too embroiled in personality conflicts which have distracted them from their core responsibilities – representing the interests of workers.
The NUPW has been weakened in many ways. No disrespect is meant to trade unionist Senator Caswell Franklyn, but when a growing number of public sector workers have more confidence in one man to fight their cause, than a large, structured entity with a 77-year track record, the organisation needs to start examining itself.
The ILO commentary on the labour movement is instructive in this context.
“Trade unions can help their countries to emerge stronger from this crisis by demanding urgent action from governments and providing new and innovative proposals to transform short-term crisis measures into systemic reforms.
“To achieve this goal, strong, independent, knowledgeable and representative trade unions, as well as greater solidarity, are needed to ensure an equitable economic recovery with decent work for all.”
