By Makeida Antonio

Supporters of the Antigua Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP) as well as Antigua Trades and Labour Union (AT&LU) members stood in solidarity with Prime Minister Gaston Browne as he delivered his Labour Day 2024 address outlining several milestones achieved by his administration earlier today.

Prime Minister Browne noted major growth in several of the country’s sectors including tourism, education and healthcare.

The opening and expansion of several hotels including the recent addition of the five-star Royalton Chic resort, the ongoing development of the 4th-landed University of the West Indies Five Islands Campus (UWI FIC) and further infrastructure at the Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre were just a few of the projects mentioned during his speech.

The country’s leader urged citizens to strengthen the support behind UWI FIC and to seek opportunities in higher education.

The tertiary institute currently has more than 1,000 students enrolled at the campus.

“As that university matures and grows, we will educate thousands of Antiguans and Barbudans on an annual basis because we want to ensure that our people rank among the brightest in the world,” Browne said.

The Prime Minister also encouraged further intellectual development of citizens to foster increased competitiveness in the global job market.

“You must be able to compete as an Antiguan and Barbudan with any other nationality from any developed country in the world because we in the ABLP believe in our people and we are committed to serving and empowering you,” Browne highlighted.

The ABLP leader declared that there is no doubt that healthcare has improved significantly during his tenure as Prime Minister.

“Today, you can get kidney transplants right here in Antigua and Barbuda and our aspiration is to continue to improve our healthcare so you can get cardiac services and other advanced services in Antigua and Barbuda. I can guarantee you will get those improvements in healthcare before the end of this term,” Browne affirmed.

The Finance Minister asserted that the ABLP Administration has doubled the country’s economy since coming to office in 2014 through the sustained efforts of workers in Antigua and Barbuda.

“We have grown this country’s economy year after year and during the last decade I can say that there is no other administration in the history of this country that has grown the economy to the extent that my administration has. Before the end of this year, our economy will reach over six billion dollars,” Prime Minister Browne noted in his economic forecast.

He also highlighted one of the biggest and most recent national achievements of attaining a higher rank on the United Nations Human Development Index, from 74 in 2023 to 54 in 2024, notably due to the operations at the UWI FIC and other positive economic factors.

“Our living standards in Antigua and Barbuda ranks 54 out of 200 countries globally. When those who oppose us say that we have not performed and that we have done nothing for the people, I say to you, that is an attack on workers. If you were not productive, we could not have expanded the economy,” Browne argued.

Prime Minister Browne reaffirmed his commitment to serving the workers of Antigua and Barbuda in the closing words of his address.

“I can feel the love and affection that you have for your leader and I want to say to you that I have dedicated my life to serve and to empower you. I will continue to love you unrelentingly. I will continue to fight for you, to fight for your empowerment until the day I die,” he said.

Labour Day is celebrated on the first Monday in May annually to commemorate workers as well as to address workers’ issues and rights by the country’s unions and affiliated political parties.