Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08BRIDGETOWN140
2008-03-04 19:39:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Bridgetown
Cable title:
Labor Unions in St Kitts - Going Through Transformation
how-toVZCZCXYZ3013 RR RUEHWEB DE RUEHWN #0140/01 0641939 ZNR UUUUU ZZH R 041939Z MAR 08 FM AMEMBASSY BRIDGETOWN TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6180 INFO RUCNCOM/EC CARICOM COLLECTIVE RUMIAAA/HQ USSOUTHCOM J2 MIAMI FL
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
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