Minister of Labour Colin Jordan reiterated on Tuesday that the Labour Clauses (Concessions) Bill is protection for ordinary workers that had the blessing of the Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU).
He claimed that if the government had not intervened by drafting the new legislation there would be a “race to the bottom”.
Jordan insisted that the Bill is not novel legislation but is built on the decades-old laws heralded by past BWU stalwarts. He named Sir Grantley Adams – one of the ruling Barbados Labour Party’s founding fathers who also co-founded the BWU. Jordan also noted long-time BWU general secretary Sir Frank Walcott, and lawmakers Sir Kenmore Husbands and JTC Ramsay.
Jordan said the original legislation, the Labour Clauses Public Contracts Act of 1952, was a response to the workers’ dissatisfaction and struggle of the 1930s and he expressed “sadness” that the Barbadian environment in 2024 would necessitate a similar Bill being brought before the Parliament.
Leading off debate on the Bill, Jordan said the legislation is to protect vulnerable workers from employers who benefit from the government’s concessions but who fail to maintain a minimum standard concerning those whom they engage in employment.
He said: “Where the taxpayers’ money is involved, then those who benefit must treat to the taxpayers who work for them at some minimum standard. In other words, an employing entity should not be gaining an advantage over some other employing entity by not meeting at least some minimum standard for the treatment of their workers.
“What this proposed legislation seeks to do is to ensure that those who benefit from the public purse are held to some standard.”
Jordan said it is based on a principle embraced in Barbados for over 70 years “because we understand the struggle of workers to improve their lot”.
“We bring this Bill to this Chamber because It is the right thing to do for the workers of this country,” he told fellow parliamentarians. “It is the right thing to do for the economy of this country.”
The labour minister said there have been “hundreds” of complaints to the Labour Department for the type of treatment experienced by some workers in various sectors. Though he stressed that the Bill was not targeted solely at the hotel sector, he acknowledged that there have been numerous complaints about this area.
“This Bill is a framework piece of legislation which allows us, as does the Labour Clauses Public Contracts Act, to shape the minimum terms and conditions of work for those businesses operating in sectors that receive concessions. That would include those sectors which form the tourism industry,” he said.
Jordan explained that concerns were raised about short-term contracts with no security for the extension of credit to contractors, staff facilities including lunchroom provision, and the mechanism for how service charges were to be paid out.
“We will not be a participant in a race to the bottom,” he said, noting that the administration is encouraged by the fact that “decent employers” are on board with the government in the exercise.
The St Peter MP declared there are two main groups in opposition to the new legislation – those seeking political relevance and another much larger group of “innocent victims” who have been misinformed. It was the latter group, he said, that was his concern and not the “misfits”.
Jordan said the BLP was founded on a platform of worker advancement and enfranchisement and continues to make this a pillar of its existence today. He touted his party’s efforts at establishing minimum wage legislation and safety at work laws, a national workplace wellness policy and a revitalisation of the national insurance scheme. (SP)
