EDITORIAL: Will there be much to celebrate on May Day?

LIKE several Barbadians who have followed the developments in the local labour market over the past year, we will be looking to gauge how this year’s May Day activities pan out and what will be the responses coming from workers who are still members of trade unions.

May Day is the workers’ holiday, which many of them look forward to. In the past, it was traditional for the Barbados Workers’ Union to put together elaborate celebrations for its vast membership base and other workers. Back in those days, the May Day celebrations took place at the King George V Memorial Park where either the Prime Minister of the day, the Labour Minister, or both joined with the union’s leaders in addressing the event.

The celebrations were switched subsequently to Mangrove, St. Philip, for similar activities which were just as significant as workers were brought up to date on the industrial relations climate, any passage of important labour legislation or what can be expected and what can employees expect in view of the prevailing situation with the economy. The car park next to Browne’s Beach was a later venue for the celebrations.

Over the last several years and up to early last year, workers from across all unions would tell you that their trade unions were very vocal and militant. The slightest hint of problems in the workplace and particularly the public sector, would be met with threats of industrial action. Ideally, not everyone agreed with that approach, given that labour legislation is there to guide the orderly conduct of such developments.

It appears a lot has changed. We have heard it said that in recent times, some trade unions appear to have gone soft while hundreds of unionised and other workers have lost their jobs.

It was always going to be a tough call for the leaders of trade unions, knowing the state of the economy and what is required by the Government to bring Barbados out of the present predicament.

Many of those who remain in employment are not too sure what fate awaits them as the Government continues to navigate the course of events in trying to bring stability to Barbados, whose economy is facing some very real issues. Therefore, the layoffs which have taken place since last year, would quite naturally create challenges for trade union leaders.

From all of what has been said, the dismissed workers would not be pleased as this came as a surprise to many of them. One therefore wonders whether the colleagues of the dismissed workers, who are still in jobs, will be in a celebratory mood come Wednesday.

If there is no large-scale turnout for the events on Wednesday, then it will be a signal to the trade union leaders that Barbadian workers want better representation. They have to be more creative in how they treat to the issues. In joining trade unions, workers reasoned that having paid their dues, they in turn expect better representation from the labour organisation. When that is not there, they drop out of the union, which in itself creates a problem for the union.

Union leaders are aware as well that job losses will continue to threaten the very survival of the unions and the leadership as well.