The National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) is much more stable than it was a year ago.
That is the view of president of the country’s largest public sector union Kimberley Agard, who said providing its members with a safe and healthy environment is one of her biggest achievements to date.
In an interview with Barbados TODAY to reflect on her first year in the post, Agard said prior to her being elected, both the NUPW’s Executive and membership were in turmoil.
The 39-year old became the third woman to serve in the position when she defeated Fabian Jones on August 19, 2021.
That election was overshadowed by controversy as former president Akanni McDowall staged an unsuccessful attempt to become the NUPW’s general secretary and then after being disallowed from seeking re-election he filed an injunction in the High Court to stop the elections from taking place.
However, Agard said she was proud to see that the NUPW had since settled down.
She revealed that within the past few months the union had seen a boost in its membership.
“One of the things that we would have promised that the team ‘new guard’ would have promised under my leadership would have been to bring about stability, to stabilize the union and to redirect the union in a way where persons once again trusted the union and looked to the union for that representation, support and comfort that it once was known for.
“Over the years we would have lost quite a number of members for particular reasons, be it not supporting certain decisions made by the union or for some reason or another we would have lost some membership over the years. But what we have noticed over the last nine months or so, we have seen a steady inflow of members,” Agard noted.
“The union is now in a better position. I don’t think the members were engaged in the way that they should have been as it related to the business of the union. Persons were not feeling like they were part of the decisions that were being made. Plenty people were not in agreement with the way in which these decisions or utterances were made and that created a high level of mistrust among the members.”
The president said even though the year had been challenging due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NUPW continued to be at the forefront of representing its members.
She said through its hard work the union had prevented disruptions both in the private and public sector.
“The NUPW does not market itself in terms of some of the achievements that we get on behalf of our members and it is sad that the negativity is what would have been bandied about more than the positive things that we would have achieved.
“But over the last year and especially having the expertise at the top in general secretary Richard Green and deputy general secretary Wayne Walrond, we have been able to negotiate successfully on behalf of the Arawak Cement Plant. We would also have averted some disruptions within the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in relation to security officers there,” Agard said.
“There’s plenty more work to do. The work has begun and we are willing and up to the task of doing it.”
