The Executive Council of the Barbados Workers’ Union notes that there has been some confusion arising out of the meeting of the Social Partners on Wednesday, October 10, when the Chairman of the Meeting, Prime Minister, The Honourable Mia Amor Mottley indicated that the first phase of the layoff of public servants had to be implemented by mid-October.
The BWU, which has always taken the position that any layoff is painful, indicated at that meeting that it needed not to see the name of anyone who was going, but rather to ensure that anyone who was made to leave would depart on the basis of a decent, acceptable process relating to Last In First Out, and ensuring that an appropriate safety net would be provided to ensure that at least minimal social protection provisions would be provided.
The BWU also insisted that the unions should by right have the opportunity to hold discussions to ensure that all appropriate processes were adhered to by the government.
In that vein, on Friday, October 12, a meeting was held by a subcommittee of the social partners which included representatives of the private sector and the unions to review the list of those categories from which the cuts were due to come. The BWU regrets that because of some differences between some of the participants to those discussions, no clear picture emerged.
This union is however hopeful that in the areas where those participants could not agree, that every effort will be taken to ensure that the measures which all sides are taking to minimise the tragedy of this economic crisis are not dissipated because of misunderstandings by any group.
The BWU will maintain its struggle to reduce layoffs and will continue to insist that adequate measures are put in place to safeguard households from major dislocation where any layoff takes place; this included our efforts to have government provided separation packages of an enhanced nature, where that may become necessary. (PR)
