BARBADOS' LABOR AND POLITICS: A HISTORICAL

UNCLAS BRIDGETOWN 001835

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR WHA/CAR AND DRL
USDOL FOR ILAB
SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ELAB PGOV ECON PREL PHUM BB XL
SUBJECT: BARBADOS' LABOR AND POLITICS: A HISTORICAL
OVERVIEW


1. SUMMARY: The stable democratic history of Barbados has
been characterized by occasional periods of upheaval
predicated by a lack of political, social and economic
parity. The Social Partnership, first established in 1993,
was created to thwart the then-downward spiraling economy and
provide a mechanism for government, private sector employers,
and labor to collaborate on critical issues of national
interest. Now under its Fifth Protocol, the Partnership has
proven to be a relatively successful tool of economic
management and inclusive governance. End Summary.

Barbados Labor Politics: A Brief History
--------------


2. While Barbados has enjoyed a long democratic history,
white-minority plantation owners and merchants of British
descent dominated local politics until the 1930s. The first
election under universal suffrage was held in 1951, after
much political wrangling between the established ruling class
and the descendants of emancipated slaves fighting for
representation and socio-economic parity. Since then local
politics have been dominated by the black majority.


3. In the early 20th century, Barbados was beleaguered by a
depression in the sugar industry, which improved only briefly
during World War I. Labor tensions were relieved by the
exodus of large numbers of poor and unemployed Barbadians to
work on the construction of the Panama Canal. However, the
remittances they sent home led to the creation of a
burgeoning black middle class that demanded more political
and social rights. The consolidation of the sugar industry
to meet mounting economic pressures, as well as the influx
and influence of pan-African nationalists and socialists,
eventually brought tensions between the traditional labor
class and the planter-merchant oligarchy to a head in 1937
with four days of riotous rebellion.


4. Sir Grantley Adams, a lawyer and liberal pragmatist,
helped found the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) in 1938,
intending to mobilize and direct the surge of workers'
political activism following the riots. (Note: the BLP was
also known as the Barbados Progressive League from 1939-1944.
End note.) The promotion of the organization as one
dedicated to solidarity, political agitation, and social
welfare helped it to garner a mass following within the first
year. Over time, Adams, leadership led to several reforms
including legalized trade union activities and universal
suffrage.


5. Until the early 1950,s, Adams was the leader of the BLP
and by extension the Barbados Workers Union. However, his
political style of extracting concessions without irritating
or directly confronting the ruling class frustrated the more
radical anti-colonial elements of his party. His growing
conservatism and intolerance for different views within the
ranks of his party as well as the union, eventually caused a
rift within the BLP. The younger, more progressive members
of the party, including Errol Barrow, left the BLP and
founded the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) in 1955.


6. Since then the BLP and DLP have volleyed government
control and membership quite civilly. Over time, various
other parties, spanning the spectrum from conservative to
communist, have entered and exited the scene with varying
levels of influence and success. None have been able to
maintain the popularity or longevity of the BLP or the DLP.
(Note: The socialist-leaning People's Empowerment Party,
founded in 2006, has yet to gain any following of
significance. End note.) In this environment, both parties
constantly struggle to increase their power bases while
maintaining their connection to their "labor" roots and
simultaneously courting the economic influence of corporate
Barbados.

What is the Social Partnership?
--------------


7. When near-crisis levels of unemployment and inflation in
the early 1990s threatened the socio-political stability of
Barbados, the Social Partnership was conceived.
The Social Partnership, now a cornerstone of participatory
democracy in Barbados, was established in 1993, under the

leadership of then-Prime Minister Sir Lloyd Erskine Sandiford
of the Democratic Labor Party (DLP). It is currently
operating under its fifth Protocol, covering 2005-2007. The
current protocol is a formal structure which outlines the
collaborative relationship between government, labor and
employers to foster sustainable social and economic progress.
It serves as a framework to recognize their inherent
interdependence and provide guidelines for collaboration and
consultation on all aspects of national development.


8. The original protocol was designed to help ease tensions
created by the economic crisis of the late 1980s and early
1990s, brought on by the recession of the early 1980s and
excessive government borrowing for public works projects.
The first protocol of the Social Partnership was essentially
a wage freeze and became an important element in the
country's recovery from the seemingly inexorable economic
decline of the early 1990s. It set a path for sustained
economic growth for the next 8 consecutive years, averaging 3
per cent per year. When the first protocol was implemented,
unemployment stood at 24.3 per cent; it now stands at 8.5 per
cent (December 2005).

Who are the Social Partners?
--------------


9. The social partnership includes:

GOVERNMENT: Since 1994, the Owen Arthur-led Barbados Labour
Party (BLP),represented by three Ministers and
representatives from the departments of Civil Service,
Finance and Economic Affairs, Personnel and Labor.

PRIVATE SECTOR: The Barbados Employers Confederation (BEC) -
which includes Construction and Allied Services,
Distribution, Garages, Manufacturers, Hospitality Services,
Financial Services, Ancillary Services, as well as Travel,
Utility and Energy employers and Employers Associations -
Barbados Agricultural Management Company, Barbados Hotel and
Tourism Association, Barbados Sugar Industry Limited, and the
Shipping Association of Barbados, as well as the Barbados
Private Sector Association (BPSA) and the Barbados Business
Authority (BBA)

LABOR UNIONS: Represented by the Congress of Trade Unions and
Staff Associations of Barbados (CTUSAB),whose members
include the Barbados Workers Union (BWU),Barbados Public
Workers Union (BPWU),National Union of Public Workers
(NUPW),Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT),Barbados Secondary
Teachers, Union (BSTU) and others.

(Note: The media are not currently included in the Social
Partnership. End note.)

Comment
--------------


10. Barbados has benefited from the unique though cumbersome
mechanics of the Social Partnership, which has enabled the
economy to grow continuously, albeit slowly, since 1993,
discounting a brief recession in 2001. The Social
Partnership brought stability to Barbados by keeping historic
rivalries between labor, employers, and government in check.
While globalization and regional integration may pose new
challenges for the social partners, the Social Partnership
framework is unlikely to change much in the near term, given
the Barbadian society's broad consensus on its importance to
the well-being of the country.
GILROY