The Antigua Trades and Labour Union (AT&LU) has taken its first formal step towards negotiating a Collective Bargaining Agreement for supervisors at the West Indies Oil Company (WIOC).

AT&LU President Bernard de Nully and the union’s shop stewards recently held their first official meeting with members of WIOC’s Supervisory Unit, which the union now represents.

The meeting allowed the union to consult supervisors about their priorities as it prepares proposals for submission to WIOC’s management.

According to de Nully, the proposed agreement will establish clear protections for supervisors and safeguard their rights, benefits and entitlements over the coming years.

“The CBA will ensure the supervisors’ rights and entitlements are protected for years to come,” he said.

The Caribbean Congress of Labour (CCL) has welcomed the development, describing it as an important step in strengthening worker representation and trade unionism across the region.

De Nully, who also serves as a CCL zone representative and member of its General Council, participated in the consultation with the WIOC supervisors.

The regional labour organisation said the initiative extends beyond negotiating an employment agreement and is also intended to give supervisors a stronger collective voice in determining their working conditions.

“This is more than the negotiation of an agreement—it is about building worker representation, securing rights and entitlements, and ensuring that supervisors have a collective voice in shaping their terms and conditions of employment,” the CCL said.

It added that unions throughout the Caribbean continue to organise workers, negotiate improved employment conditions and strengthen the institutions responsible for protecting labour rights.

“The CCL stands with them in advancing decent work, collective bargaining and social justice,” the organisation said.