President Paula-Mae Weekes has called on labour leaders to usher themselves into the 21st century, representing their workers with skill and strategies appropriate to the current realities confronting our nation.
Weekes made the point within her 2022 Labour Day message.
She said labour marches and fiery speeches by labour leader have their place. But they cannot be the only arrows in the labour movement’s quiver.”
The following is the full message from Her Excellency Paula-Mae Weekes:
Fellow citizens, like many other national observances, Labour Day evokes both contemplation and celebration. We reflect soberly on the generations of exploitation, abuse and painful experiences of workers that culminated in the deadly riots and clashes of June 19, 1937, even while celebrating the birth of the trade union movement and the tireless efforts of its architects to secure workers’ rights and freedoms.
As we mark Labour Day 2022, we do so with a mix of optimism and concern— optimism, because as the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic appears to be in the rear-view mirror, organisations are resuming their normal operations, and citizens their daily activities; concern, because our economy continues to reel from shocks, local and global, with citizens being retrenched or otherwise losing their livelihoods and income streams. Additionally, the ongoing war in Ukraine is causing prices of essential goods, including food and fuel, to skyrocket which disproportionately affects the working class. Amid these predicaments, thousands of employees, some of whom have been pushed to their limit over the past two years, still await the outcome of a tedious bargaining process.
The effects of these crises and resulting challenges to labour relations are certain to be felt for years. It should be clear by now that the adversarial processes used on both sides of the labour divide, and which once upon a time might have served the parties, cannot be sustained in this new, ever-changing environment. Labour leaders must usher themselves into the 21st century, representing their workers with skill and strategies appropriate to the current realities confronting our nation. While labour marches and fiery speeches may continue to have a place, they cannot be the only arrows in the quiver of the unions. Employers too, must operate differently, coming to the table at regular and predictable intervals, being empathetic to the concerns and conditions of their employees, even if tethered to their bottom line.
Albeit that there are inevitable tensions inherent in the bargaining process, the objectives of employers and labour are not wholly incompatible. When the parties come together, each bearing goodwill, patience, insight and a creative spirit, it is possible to bring about a result that is acceptable to all, even though not the ideal of any.
Trade unions, as the bridge between worker and employer, must continue to build upon the firm foundation laid by those fearless stalwarts of the 1930s labour movement. While asserting the rights of their members to a safe working environment, fair wages and job security, they would do well to also ensure that members understand the harsh economic realities of the labour market and remain informed, upskilled and equipped to keep pace with, and even run ahead, of the future of work.
While tangible dollars and cents are fundamentally important, there are intangibles like work from home options, four-day working weeks, extended maternity leave, and regularised flexi-time that can enhance the employees’ standard of living.
Employers too, must re-imagine and re-engineer the way they approach labour relations as they balance the need for profit and productivity with the fundamental right of workers to enjoy a decent quality of life and safe working conditions. Bare minimum cannot be the guiding measure. The goal should be to arrive at a win-win situation guided by the philosophy that a workplace and working conditions should be conducive to optimum production.
Cooperation, compromise, flexibility and innovation have to be the order of the day. Employers and labour representatives need to acknowledge and embrace the imperative of unity and join forces to produce a modern, adaptable and secure work environment that guarantees our economic recovery in the shortest possible time.
As trade union leaders and members turn out in their numbers for the first time in two years, I salute workers, many of whom have borne the brunt of the Covid-19 crisis, risking life and limb to ensure the continuity of essential services. I wish them, and all citizens a safe and productive Labour Day.
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