De Peiza steps down from CTUSAB leadership

After 40 years in the labour movement, Dennis De Peiza has stepped down as general secretary of the Congress of Trade Unions and Staff Associations of Barbados (CTUSAB), urging unions to put workers first and prepare younger members to lead.

De Peiza, who confirmed his departure to Barbados TODAY, said he did not seek re-election at the just-ended 31st Biennial Delegates Conference.

Reflecting on his decision, the veteran trade unionist said the time had come to move on after dedicating 40 years to the labour movement.

“It’s time…everybody has to know [when] to move on,” he said.

But De Peiza said his departure from the post does not mean he is walking away from the labour movement.

He said he would remain involved in various capacities and continue his “commitment and support to the Congress of Trade Unions and Staff Associations of Barbados and to the cause of labour”.

As he leaves the leadership position, De Peiza is urging the trade union movement to take a hard look at itself and rethink its priorities.

“I am not going to throw the unions under the bus, but I’m going to say that the unionism in Barbados needs to have a look, a rethink, and we have to focus on what is the agenda for the unions.”

De Peiza said the focus must remain firmly on workers and the wider development of the country.

“It cannot be on anything else but the causes of workers and what’s good for the country,” he said, stressing that workers’ interests must remain paramount while recognising the social and economic impact of the labour movement’s actions.

“Workers’ interests have to be paramount,” he added.

He also cautioned against external influences within the labour movement, saying union leaders must remain vigilant and focused on the collective rather than themselves.

“One has to bear in mind that we have to be wary of the influences, external influences, that are infiltrating the labour movement across the world.

“Our leaders have to be vigilant. They have to be respectful of the fact that it is not about individuals, it’s about the cause, and therefore it is not about self, it is about the collective.”

De Peiza also identified succession planning as one of the major challenges facing the trade union movement. “That is a big problem,” he said.

He suggested that younger people be deliberately mentored and given opportunities to take on greater responsibilities within the movement.

But simply recruiting young people is not enough; they must also be trusted with meaningful responsibilities and allowed to develop their own leadership skills, he said.

“There has to be a commitment to the cause,” he said. “When they are there, you have to give them a sense of responsibility. It’s not only engaging, but give them responsibility and at the end of the day, don’t micromanage.”

He said a lack of trust can undermine the relationship between experienced union leaders and those being groomed to succeed them.

“When you start to give me a responsibility and you want to do it yourself, then clearly you really don’t have confidence and trust in me, and that creates a problem for the relationship.”

De Peiza said the movement must find ways to build a sustainable future while preserving the institutional knowledge accumulated over generations of trade unionism.

“We have to focus on those and see how we can make the best pathways so that we can keep the movement alive and hopefully don’t throw out the baby with the bathwater.

“Always remember wisdom. There’s always institutional knowledge, and there’s always wisdom that comes through experiences.” 

(SB)