Union leader urges unions to adapt to global crises

A public service labour leader has issued an urgent call for unions to adapt and restructure their approaches amid profound global crises reshaping the political landscape.

In a frank address to the 79th Annual Conference of the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) on Thursday evening, Sandra Massiah, Sub-regional Secretary for the Caribbean with Public Services International (PSI), highlighted the need for unions to reevaluate traditional approaches.

She said: “A priority theme for you must also be digitalisation and public services – and priority groups are young workers, women workers, and workers with disabilities. Radical changes for the better are what you need. And I hope that those radical changes start as a matter of urgency. Change is the law of life,” she said.

She referred to a “myriad of interrelated global crises” such as COVID-19, climate change, geopolitical shifts, and economic inequalities that have “profoundly reshaped the political landscape”.

She emphasised the transformative impact of digitalisation: “We have to be very careful because there are some businesses that are banking on the fact that they can have access to data and using that as part of their business plans to determine how they’re gonna make money.”

However, she added: “I am not in any way suggesting that as unions, we don’t like technology, we love technology.”

Massiah cautioned against unchecked proliferation, urging scrutiny of “who owns the intelligence” and “who develops those algorithms” behind digital technologies.

She stressed the importance of effective communication, leadership, and engagement at all levels within unions. The trade unionist encouraged empowering shop stewards and members in decision-making.

“We have this title now in unions – industrial relations officers. But if all you’re doing is going up there and handling grievances, and calling the general secretary because a toilet in a department ain’t working. . .  let me get real. . . .  You, the members, have to take control of your union. You have to do the work together with those whom you have elected and employed to help you carry out the business of the union.”

Massiah called on the NUPW to spearhead a shift in public discourse surrounding the public service, while advocating for a more balanced narrative that acknowledged the vital contributions of public sector workers.

“We’re not gonna continue bashing the public workers. They can only do what they can do with the resources provided. . . . Change that narrative because part of the strategy is to run down the public services so much that people can say, all right, let me try the private sector – as if the private sector got magic,” Massiah said.

She warned of “the neoliberal agenda” favouring free market capitalism and privatisation efforts: “They’re pushing deregulation to the point where they say they can regulate themselves.”

Massiah also highlighted women’s rights, noting the underrepresentation and undervaluation of women in sectors like health and social care services, which make up 99 per cent of NUPW’s membership.

“Underpaid, undervalued, and overworked, but yet when we talk about building an economy for the country, we continually focus on construction, not on health and social care services. Something fundamentally wrong with that,” she said.

“Radical changes for the better are what you need,” Massiah told NUPW delegates, urging prioritisation of issues such as digitalisation, public services, young workers, women, and workers with disabilities.

(RG)