President of the Caribbean Congress of Labour (CCL) Chester Humphrey is warning that the region’s labour market is facing severe challenges describing the situation as “the worst difficult period I have ever encountered”.
“This is a very difficult labour market. The high levels of employment, the growing reduction of family incomes as a result of high unemployment make every job in the family that crucially important,” Humphrey told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC).
“With more and more people becoming unemployed the whole question of the social impact on the society. It’s a very complicated situation,” said Humphrey, who is also the leader of the Grenada Technical and Allied Workers Union (TAWU) and the Chairman of the Councils of Unions representing employees with the Antigua-based regional airline, LIAT.
Nearly 100 LIAT employees are scheduled to lose their jobs after the cash strapped airline said that it was closing down its City Ticket Offices.
Last week, LIAT management met with regional trade unions to discuss the dismissal and Humphrey, who conceded that the cuts were inevitable, made it clear that LIAT was not the only employer discussing layoffs with the union.
“Right now as I speak to you there are talks ongoing in the country of jobs cuts in the banking sector, in the telecommunication sector and the retail sector.
.”2011 is pretty much of 2010. There are significant challenges which face all of us but we have to find a way to meet these challenges together. And I can tell you that as a long practitioner of industrial relations, this is the worst difficult period I have ever encountered.”
Humphrey said that the CCL is discussing a plan to assist those affected workers. (CMC)
