Pay workers for the time they spend paying their respects at the state funeral of former Prime Minister David Thompson next Wednesday.
Trade union boss Sir Roy Trotman sent that message to employers on behalf of employees yesterday.
The Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU) general secretary said that some concerns had arisen regarding people paying their respects “or whether they would be laid off for the day”.
 However, he stressed, this was not a time for “quibbling or question marks” but one where the people should be given time to express their sympathies.
Sir Roy said that a request made by Government for workers to attend the funeral or in some way pay their respects, should be granted.
“We think it is important for us to complement the Cabinet and the family and other people who have arranged for the funeral, to adhere to the request that workers be given the opportunity to pay their respects in one way or the other, whether it is at the actual funeral and to be able to attend at Kensington Oval or to watch from television,” he stated.
“The BWU wishes to urge on all, that this is not a moment for us to be looking around the corner at what we want to do. We all want to give the highest level of respect to the memory of the PM. We all want to demonstrate the goodwill that is necessary to the family, our own family and to our extended families as Barbadians and we ought not to be quibbling or having questions marks regarding precisely what should happen on Wednesday.” (CT)
