Two labour organisations are opposing the historic May Day Declaration of Mission Barbados saying they had no input in the document which was signed off by other major labour industry stakeholders.While the Unity Workers’ Union, headed by Caswell Franklyn, deemed it a “public relations” document that “sounds good” on paper, General Secretary of the Congress of Trade Unions and Staff Associations of Barbados (CTUSAB) Dennis De Peiza said the way in which the document was established was “disrespectful”.On Monday during the Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU) May Day celebrations at the National Botanical Gardens, Prime Minister Mia Mottley signed the Declaration of Mission Barbados with members of the Social Partnership. These included The National Union of Public Workers, Barbados Secondary Teachers Union, Minister of Labour Colin Jordan and Barbados Private Sector Association.The document addresses six main points, noting Government’s goal to make Barbados a more environme
Veteran trade unionist Caswell Franklyn expects to see more public servants taking the bold step to run for political office in the future given the recent High Court ruling regarding the unconstitutionality of prohibiting public officers from engaging in active politics.He believes there is a possibility that Parliament could move to restrict specific categories of public servants from running for political office, however.“And that is only sensible because you cannot have a permanent secretary, a commissioner of police, or the people who write speeches for ministers running for political office,” Franklyn noted. “There would have to be some clarification as the law intended from 1966, they just never put it in place,” the former Opposition senator added.Saying he was not surprised by the recent ruling by Justice Westmin James, Franklyn explained that he was also not shocked that teachers Pedro Shepherd and Alwyn Babb who were both charged last year by the Ministry of Public S
By Anesta Henry
Workers of the Sanitation Service Authority (SSA) may receive an increase in hazard pay once negotiations between management and the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) are completed.
NUPW’s Deputy General Secretary Wayne Walrond told Barbados TODAY that the SSA board has agreed to review internal finances with the intention of making favourable adjustments to hazard pay for workers.
“The
By January 2022, Barbadians were suffering from COVID-19 fatigue and were ready to resume regular routines as much as possible. The pandemic, which held the world in its grip since early 2020 was still prevalent, but slowly, the Government was relaxing the protocols which kept the country safe during the height of the crisis. Government never eased up on it messages which encouraged people to not only get tested but …
Veteran trade unionist Caswell Franklyn has dismissed claims by the Congress of Trade Unions and Staff Associations of Barbados (CTUSAB) that efforts are being made to undermine that organisation.In fact, the general secretary of the Unity Workers’ Union (UWU), who accused CTUSAB of fighting to remain relevant, said the umbrella body for trade unions has no basis for demanding a seat at the negotiation table.“They are not a trade union, they do not represent a single worker. CTUSAB is a collection of staff associations and trade unions, and very few trade unions too. The main union in Barbados which is the Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU) does not form part of CTUSAB.“And the NUPW [National Union of Public Workers] negotiates on its own; it has from the inception. I was there at NUPW when CTUSAB was first formed and NUPW declared that they would not give up the right to represent their members,” Franklyn contended.