Prime Minister The Right Honourable Freundel Stuart shares a light moment with the students of the St. Bartholomew’s Primary School yesterday after giving them some insight into the life of a Prime Minister.
PRIME Minister the Rt Hon Freundel Stuart has expressed concern about the new culture of trade unionism that is springing into industrial action before clarifications, discussions or negotiations have been completed.
His comments came yesterday at the St. Bartholomew’s Primary School after speaking to the students about the Day in the Life of a Prime Minister.
He said where these actions may be causing instability to the industrial relations (IR) environment, an alternative approach to this voluntaristic system may have to be explored.
“If the stage is now being reached where we are being made to understand or being made to believe that the voluntaristic approach to industrial relations is not working any more, since we cannot afford to have an unstable IR environment, since we cannot afford to have a country in which neither employers nor workers can know what the next day will bring, we may have to get back to the drawing board to see whether there is any alternative to the voluntaristic system that can guarantee us a more stable industrial relations environment, while doing no violence to the rights of workers and the trade union, and while doing no violence to the rights of the employers.”
“ I haven't identified any alternatives but I don't believe that we live in a one-dimensional world. There are always options available to you and I don't know that all of the countries of the world have a voluntaristic industrial relations environment. We have had one from the dawn of our trade unionism and it has worked for us.
“All I am saying is that if it is now feeling the kind of strain that puts it in a position where it is no longer working for us, we may have to look at what alternatives exist. I have no particular alternatives in mind but we have to look at what alternatives exist.”
Prime Minister Stuart’s comments came as he was asked to weighed in on the current impasse between the National Union of Public Workers and the Personnel Administration Division and the calls to have NUPW President Akanni McDowall reverted to his substantive position in the public service. Since then, a go-slow was instituted at both ports of entry.
“As far as I am aware that issue is still being discussed between the two sides and therefore I have thought it quite irregular that while discussions are going on and clarifications are being sought that industrial action should be instituted. I say it is very irregular because that is not the way we have done things in Barbados over the years.”
“It is only when there is a genuine industrial dispute that admits of no easy resolution that there has been resort to industrial action of any kind. Nowadays it seems as though the fashion is, institute industrial action first and then start discussions. I suppose the institution of industrial action is supposed to be a subtle form and sometimes not to subtle form of blackmail of the employer. Be that employer in the government or an employer in the private sector.”
The Prime Minister reiterated that this is not the way the matters are traditionally dealt, and appear to be departing from established procedures of mutual trust and understanding.
“I have had occasion to say in the past and I will say again, new wine cannot be accommodated in old wine skins. And if the new approach to industrial relations in Barbados is going to be that you institute industrial action and then talk, rather than talk then institute industrial action, we may have to go back to the drawing board to see if the mechanisms hat we have in place for the management for our industrial relations are suited to this new culture,” he reiterated.
Prime Minister Stuart, while stating he is watching this situation carefully, reminded the media that this is not the first or second time that this “new” approach has been taken by the union.
“I know that Barbadians are concerned about this culture of engineered instability that has taken over the industrial relations environment. As Prime Minister and as a citizen of Barbados I have as great an interest as anybody else. We are watching the situation and trying to see how people are prepared to go in their attempts to make the points that they consider important to themselves, even if the point they consider important to themselves are not at one in the best interests of the overall citizen.
He said he is awaiting a status report from the PAD on the matter, “and depending on what I hear, we will have to sit down and discuss next steps,” he said. (JH)
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