Removing trade barriers brings unrest

The increase in industrial unrest across the Caribbean region are the effects of globalisation, the removal of trade barriers and the insecurity of workers and employers.

This was the view of Dr Rose-Marie Antoine, Senior Law Lecturer, UWI Cave Hill. She was the feature speaker at Ernst and Young’s half day seminar on “Labour Law — A Caribbean Perspective” which was held last week at the Hilton Trinidad. “Globalisation creates a certain helplessness and makes workers and employers unsure of how to respond to global forces which ordinary workers seem to have no say and control.” Dr Antoine, wife of St Lucian Prime Minister Dr Kenny Anthony, said this is something all countries in the region have to consider. But more importantly, she said unions in particular need to be sure that they are able to address these concerns or they may become irrelevant. “I do not think that it is sufficient for unions to operate in the traditional way and look at traditional issues because there are more important global matters to address. What we are seeing is that workers and unions seem to lack a voice because many of the decisions are coming from international bodies such as the World Trade Organisation (WTO).” Additionally she said, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) seem to be taking up the fight for workers, and not unions.

But Michael Annisette, President General, Seamen and Waterfront Workers Trade Union (SWWTU) disagrees with Dr Antoine. He said most if all unions in TT are taking up relevant, current issues such as the Social Clause and the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) with the government. He added that they were also trying to get tripartite discussions going on what implications the World Trade Organisation (WTO) will have on TT and indeed the wider Caribbean. “All these are relevant issues which are going to affect TT and the other countries of the Caribbean so we are trying to ensure that we have a say in all the discussions,” he said. Annisette said while they are not sure of what the implications of the FTAA and WTO are going to be, they still want to make sure that TT is ready to face them. He said the FTAA is most likely to exacerbate the current crime and unemployment situation in TT and the unions are working to ensure job security for all workers. “While some of our ways might be traditional, in the sense that we are still marching around Parliament and taking to the streets, we are nonetheless addressing the issues that will affect the workers,” he said.

Carlton Gibson, first vice-president, Oilfields Workers Trade Union (OWTU) shared Annisette’s views, saying his union have been championing the cause for workers and some of the issues which are relevant to trade unions are also relevant to social organisations (NGOs). “So NGOs also have a right to speak on behalf of its members. The issues do not only affect trade unions but NGOs as well.” With regards to the global issues, Gibson said they have been enlightening and empowering their members on all the relevant issues such as the WTO and FTAA and how it will affect workers and some of the social implications for TT. “These are issues that are current. We have discussions and seminars and trying to deal with these issues. So progressive unions have taken up these issues.”

Dr Antoine said there needs to be some sort of inquiry into why there seems to be so much unrest in the region. She said the question of why this is happening in areas such as essential services must be addressed. “In Dominica public servants are on strike and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has been called in. In TT there is the issue of doctors and nurses on strike.” She said in Barbados the matter is particularly worrying because there tends to be “wildcat” strikes and sometimes workers just take to the streets and do not bother with their respective unions. “This is quite a phenomena if you know the Barbadian psyche. They are rather conservative. So although Trinidadians and Jamaicans are accustomed striking, in Barbados it is rather unusual.”  Dr Antoine said in her mind, this type of behaviour just mirrors some of the unrest that is happening elsewhere in the world, whether it is Iraq or trade liberalisation.