State of Union Representation of Hotel Workers has reached Crisis Proportion

Prime Minister the Hon. Gaston Browne has been told that the poor state of union representation of workers within the hotel industry in Antigua and Barbuda is now a national crisis.

That was the word from union officials and industry partners associated with hotel workers in the state, who met with Prime Minister Gaston Browne on Thursday afternoon to commence discussions on a proposed advisory board for a hotel workers domestic trade union formation.

Over the past few weeks, Prime Minister Browne has criticized the Antigua & Barbuda Workers Union (ABWU) for allegedly collecting over $2M annually from hotel workers but not meeting their needs.

The over one dozen officials with over 200 combined years of experience in trade unionism, told the prime minister that they agreed in full his assessment of the situation in Antigua and Barbuda as it relates to hotel workers and pointed out that the workers have been underrepresented for a very long time.

Some of the union officials, who are past members of the Antigua and Barbuda Workers Union, which represents the majority of hotel workers in the state, outlined that it is critical that the national crisis facing hotel workers be addressed in order for the industry to survive and for them to receive the benefits due from an industry that has seen tremendous growth over the years.

The Prime Minister has floated the idea of the government providing a soft loan to help the workers cover start-up costs, provided the union remains independent of political influence.

It was outlined that there is a clear failure of the Antigua and Barbuda Workers Union in its representation of hotel workers, as many are gravitating to other industries, leaving room for expatriates to fill positions in the industry.  The officials spoke on an apparent mismanagement of union dues and called for accountability from unions.

The group will next meet with Attorney General Sir Steadroy Benjamin and Prime Minister Browne to look at legal issues relating to the formation of the hotel workers union. Also in attendance was Deputy Labour Commissioner, Pascal Kentish.