EDITORIAL: Level heads needed
THE impasse between Government, the private sector and the labour movement has certainly caused many of us to question the role of the Social Partnership and to wonder if the grouping, so widely touted as a prime example of how tripartite dialogue can and should be done, has indeed lost its way.
To understand where we are and where we are going, one must understand from whence we came. It was in 1993 that the Government of the day, the trade unions and the private sector came together and created the Prices and Incomes Protocol and with that also came the Social Partnership. The creation of that document and by extension the Social Partnership, as we have come to know it, came at a time when things in this country were tough – foreign reserves were on the decline, the fiscal deficit was high and unemployment too was high and rising.
That picture seems almost like the one we have today. The players and indeed the financial figures may be different, but the script is quite similar and just as it was decided then that a collaborative approach was best to properly address the crisis of that time, the same is again needed. All the Social Partners must be willing to come to the table, bare their hearts and souls so to speak, and come up with a solution that is best to get Barbados on the right path towards economic growth and development.
This entity, when conceptualised, was designed to strengthen our nation and to come up with united responses to deal with the social and economic challenges we face, and we feel strongly that this important role must not be minimised nor destroyed by anyone. There needs to be rationale, constructive discussion rather than the issuing of ultimatums and threats. That is not what this country is known for and no one should seek to tarnish our reputation in that way.
Indeed, we say there is freedom of speech and persons have the right to disagree if they so choose, but respect should never be withheld, by anyone. We say that as we note that, to someone looking in from the outside, the events of the past few weeks seem almost as though the Social Partners are at war and we feel strongly that the public deserves to know why this is so.
Now, we hear the unions and the private sector partners calling for urgent dialogue, and the former are also calling for salary negotiations to be restarted, especially in light of the impact that the continued imposition of increased taxes has had on their constituents. But Government has basically said that to raise pay to the levels they are seeking, is not feasible. So the reality is that someone will win and someone will lose.
A meeting of the Social Partnership is scheduled for August 18, and we do not know if Government will heed the call and move that date up, but serious consideration should be given to the idea as this country cannot afford to have thousands of persons, all for their own reasons, marching on the streets again. We fear that by not acceding to their request, or rather demand, could see persons who participate in another such march becoming angry, looting or even exhibiting violence.
We therefore call for level heads and respectfully advise the Social Partnership’s leaders to meet one-on-one to determine the way forward and reach a compromise. In that regard, it is felt that the unions should allow the Congress of Trade Unions and Staff Associations of Barbados to speak on behalf of the three unions it represents and for the Barbados Workers’ Union to also be in attendance. Once a determination can be made at that level, there can then be a full meeting of the Social Partnership to thrash out the issues before this country.