MINISTER OF LABOUR Dr Esther Byer Suckoo is committed to looking into the unfolding situation at the National Conservation Commission (NCC) in the wake of Wednesday’s retrenchment of close to 200 workers with a view to averting another strike.
She made the comments to the WEEKEND NATION after laying a wreath at the statue of trade unionist and National Hero Sir Frank Walcott, which was the highlight of yesterday’s annual May Day parade.
Byer Suckoo said she has not had a chance to assess the situation, but had heard the allegations directly from the unions on their concerns that the “last in, first out” approach and other “modalities” they had committed to were not followed.
“I, too, have a process to follow . . . . Our process is one which says the Labour Department, the labour inspectorate and so on will do an assessment and they will get to me. So you won’t see me up at NCC personally asking questions. I still have to follow a process we have in place. Once I can establish what the problem is, then, yes, we would have to discuss it, and preferably before it comes to the point of a strike,” she said.
Byer Suckoo also reported that she expected all the unanswered questions stemming from the eight-day strike by workers at Portvale Sugar Factory would be answered in another two meetings or so.
The minister met with representatives of the Barbados Agricultural Management Company and representatives of the Barbados Workers’ Union on Tuesday, and said they have “reached an understanding”.
“I think the answers are starting to come forth now, so we will meet again and I believe it shouldn’t take more than one, maybe two more meetings before we can wrap up because there were several questions. I think right now we’re seeing our way clear to at least half of them,” Byer Suckoo said.
Byer Suckoo said Labour Day 2014 was a happy one in the midst of it all.
Though acknowledging the downside because of the ongoing retrenchments, some of which occurred as recently as Wednesday, the minister insisted it was happy.
“We’re still celebrating solidarity. Not just solidarity of workers, but solidarity of the social partners to ensure that we still try to provide all the benefits for workers. Yes, there are differences of opinion, there are miscommunications as you would have seen in the last few months, cases sometimes of interpretation . . . but I think what we’re celebrating today is the commitment to meet each other to ensure that all sides are free to express their concerns.
“But we don’t necessarily have to strike to do it. We still have that respect, that platform that allows us to talk, to negotiate and ultimately to do what is best for workers and what is best for Barbados,” Byer Suckoo said. (YB)