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ABWU exec calls for laws against worker exploitation
The Deputy General Secretary of the Antigua and Barbuda Workers Union (ABWU), Chester Hughes, who was speaking during the union’s virtual Labour Day ceremony.
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The Deputy General Secretary of the Antigua and Barbuda Workers Union (ABWU) has made a strident call for the government to enact legislation to protect workers from exploitation.
“We need legislation; severance legislation, unemployment legislation, to protect us from exploitation,” Chester Hughes said during the union’s Labour Day ceremony on Monday morning.
He said workers are facing challenges that they have never seen or experienced before in the workplace, adding that the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic has been used as an excuse for businesses to mistreat employees.
The island of Antigua and Barbuda recorded only 159 Covid-19 cases last year, but that number rose to more than 1,000 this year, after borders reopened. Pixabay
On a clear day in Antigua, Uriah Gregory, 43, pulls his taxi van over in front of a guest house painted in bright pink, purple and orange hues, and steps out to help a woman with her luggage.
Pre-pandemic, Gregory estimates his taxi brought in US$1,110 (RM4,556) a month, shuttling visitors from resorts to restaurants and beaches during peak tourist season on the Caribbean island. Now, with few of those visitors in sight, he’s barely averaging US$110 (RM455).
It was tipped to be one of the country’s most exciting new developments – adding some welcome accommodation to the more affordable end of the tourism market…