EDITORIAL
Once again, the threat of a national shutdown looms in the public domain. This follows on from the protest march held last week under the combined forces of the Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU), the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT), the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) and the Barbados Secondary Teachers Union (BSTU). As was seen by yesterday’s sickout and go-slow, it is clear the action is ramping up until the unions get their desired result of a reduction in the recently introduced National Social Responsibility Levy (NSRL) or an alternate coping mechanism for the workers who will be impacted.
There has been much public comment about and disapproval of the NSRL. At the crux of the matter is the real feeling amongst Barbadians that this measure will harshly affect their livelihood and the growth of business in the country. They’re not off the mark, as the Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler acknowledged during the Budgetary Proposals in May. At that time, Mr. Sinckler said that though the NSRL was expected to realise approximately $291 million, cost of living would certainly increase as well as result in a contraction of the economy. Since then, he has held various meetings with stakeholders before and after the budget and had promised to continue consultations with two working groups over the summer, until such a time that further measures may be taken to chart the country’s future.
That the unions are making their voices felt is no surprise given the resurgent activism seen over the last few years in Barbados. Unions are established to represent the interests of workers; based on the history of unions world-wide, these battles often touch on the political, economic and social issues of the day, as well they should. By the same token, governments are elected of the people, by the people and for the people. Both entities are made up and serve those who have elected to put them in positions of authority.
And this to us is the critical point of this stalemate: leaders must always operate in the best interest of the country, because they are the servants of the country. The love of country must always be put first because, to paraphrase our National Pledge, by our actions we bring credit or discredit to our nation and can potentially harm our chances in the long-term.
The tension and militancy that have characterised the relationship between state and trade unions in recent times benefits no one. The threat to shut down the country during a period of high revenue-earnings benefits no one. We submit that urgent dialogue must take place between the stakeholders, because no leader is above the ones they serve nor can any one interest position itself over the others.
Barbados is at a critical crossroads in its history. We have experienced periods of economic and social tension before and have come out of the painful exercises for the better. The Social Partnership was created out of one such period, and has been a visionary model not just for Barbados, but for others in the region. We believe our leaders are cognizant of the fact that the political, economic and social choices we make now – as a collective – will resonate long after we are gone. Our history can therefore provide many teachable moments to instruct us as we continue to build on Barbados’ brand.