Labor Unions in St Kitts - Going Through Transformation

UNCLAS BRIDGETOWN 000140 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR DRL - Gabriel Rigg DOL for Gay Chatenia E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ELAB PGOV ECON SC XL SUBJECT: Labor Unions in St Kitts - Going Through Transformation (1) (U) Summary: Laboff recently met with the leadership of three major labor organizations in St Kitts: the old line St Kitts and Nevis Trades and Labor Union (SKNLU); the teachers union; and the new unofficial, independent Stevedores Association. All three unions are going through transformation in reaction to the dramatic changes undergoing St Kitts as it shifts from the moribund sugar industry into a mostly tourism-based economy. End Summary. OLD LINE TRADE UNION SEEKING TO STAY RELEVANT ¶2. (U) Labor Union president Clifford Thomas, Vice President Sydney Bridgewater, and General Secretary Batumba Tak presented a bleak picture to Laboff of the union's situation in meetings February 18-22. The SKNTLU has had a long history dating back to the 1930s. At one point, it was a powerful force in St Kitts and Nevis, as the majority of workers in the formal sector belong to the union. The SKNTLU previously boasted a high membership; but due to the closure of the sugar industry it presently has a small membership of around 600 members. The Union is a member of the Caribbean Congress of Labour. ¶3. (U) In the Union's heyday, it had many collective bargaining agreements, but with the dramatic collapse of the sugar industry, most of those agreements were cancelled. It still does collective bargaining with about 6 companies across the Federation, but it has no collective agreement with the hotel sector, the fastest growing sector of the economy. Foreign owned companies are reluctant to have a collective agreement with the Union so many of their employees are not union members. ¶4. (U) The union leadership contends that they are in a rebuilding period as they were marginalized during the People's Action Movement (PAM) government. They strongly believe that the worker needs a voice and that they are still relevant and are the voice of the working class. The SKNTLU is hampered in its work by being closely associated with the present government of the St. Kitts and Nevis Labour Party, and critics of the union dismiss its leadership as being little more than political hacks. Indeed, the union operates the unofficial newspaper of the ruling party, which is little more than a pro government propaganda sheet. ¶5. (U) Union officials disclosed that the tripartite negotiations between the Union, the St. Kitts Chamber if Commerce and the Department of Labour are to resume shortly. The former social partnership (similar to the successful social partnership committee in Barbados) consultations had ceased a number of years ago due to the relatively peaceful industrial climate (the last strike was in 1983). The free movement of labor within the CSME framework is not as big an issue in St Kitts as is it in other countries. However, with the recent boom in construction, and the opening of large scale resorts, it is likely that St Kitts will see a sharp increase in foreign workers from other Caribbean countries. There is a large number of Guyanese working already in St Kitts. In fact, the President of Auberge-Firesky, (the conglomerate building the "Christopher Harbor" project on the island's southeastern peninsula) informed Poloff that because St. Kitts lacks a sufficient labor pool; they are recruiting workers form Guyana and China to complete the project. The union leadership did not think that trafficking in persons was a particularly large problem, but noted that there is some prostitution going on, and most of the women are Dominican or Haitian. NEW STEVEDORES ASSOCIATION CHALLENGES THE OLD UNION ¶6. (U) Mr. Patches Liburd, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Social Development, Community and Gender Affairs and president of the independent Stevedores Association of St. Kitts (SAS),told Laboff SAS was established to give protection to the waterfront workers who were formerly represented by the SKNTLU. He mentioned that the christening of the Union was marked by a "baptism of fire": a struggle between union officials and the Shipping Association over recognition of the newly formed union. He dismissed the SKNTLU union as having lost the trust of the working class as they had been totally emasculated by the government over the years. He maintained that the government, which professes to be pro worker, is actually anti working class and has over the years taken many steps to weaken the labor movement. Liburd added that SAS had submitted a comprehensive proposal package to outline the mandate of the Union, but said that to date, the SAS has not met with Prime Minister Denzil Douglas to iron out these issues. TEACHERS UNION ¶7. (U) Mrs. Carlene Morton, President of the St Kitts Teacher's union, lamented that there was still room for improvement in the relationship between Government and the Union; noting that the Union need to be able to effectively bargain for its 480-odd members representing 30 schools. She added that more training was necessary to supplement the two year training program at the Teachers' College to increase the level of professionalism in the teaching service and to raise the standard of education throughout the Federation. 8 (U). Morton cited overcrowding in the classroom (25-35 students per class) as another key problem, noting that the union is working closely with the PTAs to alleviate this problem. Mrs. Morton added that drug counseling and guidance counseling is being undertaken in the school system and on a national level. But she lamented the poor parenting skills, and the devastating impact that crime and the drug trade is having on young people. Although the hotel industry is booming, many students are not developing the skills needed for that sector as there is a high drop out rate. GOVERNMENT PERSPECTIVE ¶9. (U) Laboffs had useful meetings with Minister Dwyer Astaphan and Labour Commissioner, Spencer Amory at the Department of Labour offices. Astaphan pointed out that after the closure of the sugar industry and political and economic changes, the Union failed to diversify. He stressed that there is a need and role for the Union, and was somewhat optimistic that the union will recover and become a more powerful force than it is now. He stated that the Tripartite Social Partnership was about to resume with all the major stakeholders participating and in fact would hold their first meeting in a few weeks, after a decade long delay in meeting. ¶10. (U) Astaphan said Trafficking in Persons (TIP) is not a real issue in the Federation. He commented that so far there has not been a large influx of illegal workers, but the booming tourism industry needs to attract a lot of workers, and the St Kitts population base is so small, that it is inevitable that the number of foreign workers would increase in the coming years. He also noted that there is already a sizable Guyanese population in the island. COMMENT (U) The labor movement in St Kitts is undergoing a profound transformation mirroring the transformation of society wrought by the collapse of the sugar industry which was the mainstay of the economy. Of the three unions we met with, the teachers union seemed the most professional and the most organized. The SKNTLU seemed tired and worn out and searching to find a way to be relevant. The SAS seems poised to take on the old union, and perhaps supplant it as the major private sector union in the island. (U) Due to the onset of renewed consultations in the Federation, union officials across the board expressed interest in any available training and outreach, notably FMCS and OSHA regional seminars that may be held later in spring. They also asked if the solidarity center in Washington would consider resuming training union members in organizing. The SKNTLU admitted that they lack up to date training in organizing and are interested in trying to break into the booming tourism industry. We will be contacting relevant Washington agencies in the coming weeks to discuss training opportunities. Ourisman