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Last Updated: Feb 13, 2017 - 1:45:37 AM |
Caribbean Congress Of Labour International Workers' Day Message 2015
By Chester A. A. Humphrey, General Secretary, Caribbean Congress of Labour.
May 1, 2015 - 6:21:31 PM
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Comrade President/General Secretary
Comrade Workers All, Brothers and Sisters
The Caribbean Congress of Labour conveys its deepest and most profound fraternal greetings on this occasion of International Workers' Day 2015!! Today marks 129 years since the world begun to mark this day which became a symbol of the struggles, sacrifices, the blood, sweat and tears of countless millions of working men and women throughout the history of humankind to liberate workers and working people from the slavery and exploitation of capitalism.
Today 129 years later while we have rnade significant social progress and the lives of the working class have undoubtedly improved in our region, there are yet too many areas and countries where the lives of workers and working people remain wretched as though it is the 15thcentury!!!!
Today in many areas of the world CHILD LABOUR is still a feature of production relations. Today, there are still features of the worst forms of capitalist slavery. Today, there are still countries where workers are hoarded by the hundreds into sweat factories making garments and other commodities. These factories are poorly constructed with no regard for the health and safety of the workers. Often these buildings collapse or fires break out killing hundreds.
These garments and other commodities are then sold by major international designer brands makin billions of dollars in profits.
There are still workers, including children, labouring in cocoa fields and in mines using harmful chemicals and without protection to safeguard their health. They have no rights; are denied access to education; are paid meagre wages and work under brutal conditions.
In some areas of the world women are sold into sexual slavery under the guise of religion!!!!
THE CARIBBEAN HAS MADE SERIOUS GAINS IN LABOUR
AND TRADE UNION RIGHTS
Today, the Caribbean can celebrate victories in the struggles of our forefathers making major advances for our working class. The Workers Movement has helped to construct a socially advanced liberal democracy in our Region with the universal right to vote in general elections for all citizens 18 years and over; trade union recognition; free collective bargaining and social protection.
Today, thanks to the Organised Labour Movement workers get paid
Annual Vacation Leave, Sick Leave with Pay and Maternity Paid
Leave. In many cases workers get PROFIT SHARING and ANNUAL
BONUSES; workers receive annual periodic adjustments to salary and wages.
In the construct of this liberal democracy, there is universal primary and secondary education and increasing numbers are going to university, institutions of all types. All of these measures have been the result of the industrial and political work of the Trade Unions in the region. Of these achievements we must be justly proud and salute organised labour for its role in making all of these benefits possible.
NEW DANGERS
Today the Caribbean is at a crossroad. We are caught up in the
INTERNATIONAL CRISIS OF CAPITALISM and our countries are facing enormous difficulties. Some cf these difficulties have been created by the mistakes of our leaders but much of the difficulties are as a result of the crisis. This crisis threatens to undo many of the achievements we have made. In some countries the social contract is strained and free university education is now at risk. Thousands of workers in the State sector have been retrenched and job security is now a prominent industrial issue.
This ongoing regional economic and financial crisis has seen little or no economic growth and its worst features sill persist:
• High and rising unemployment with continued contraction of employment in the Finance Sector as banks continue to close branches throughout the region. The year on year contraction in the construction sector since 2008 - while there has been some turn around in most Caribbean countries, employment is not back to pre-crisis levels.
• Several CARICOM states have entered IMF Structural
Adjustment Programmes and the State has had to cut its social spending. Many have suffered serious reductions in revenue inflows forcing some countries to increase taxes on the working population.
• In the Tourism Sector many of the Hotels continue to be fiscally stressed and this has negatively affected hotel workers. Many workers have had to forego salary increases over the last five years while suffering a diminution of service charge income and extended lay-offs.
The overall situation points to growing poverty in our Region and the negative social consequences flowing therefrom. The rise of youth criminality and endemic youth unemployment are serious threats to our social democratic model.
Our Caribbean continues to fall behind in productivity and competitiveness. All these are matters which must occupy the attention of Organised Labour.
UNITY AND STRENGTH WILL SEE US THROUGH
Comrade workers in this period the key to our survival as workers is our unity and support to the Trade I nion Movement. Anything else weakens our struggles and would make life much more difficult for working people and their families.
CCL therefore calls for strengthening of the LABOUR MOVEMENT and cooperation between Trade nions locally regionally and internationally.
CCL condemns those employers who are attempting to use the economic difficulties to exploit workers.
• CCL demands :
• A Regional Strategy for job creation
• Enactment of Legislation in all CARICOM States in keeping
with the ILO Convention to protect domestic workers
• Immediate passage of Legislation to put an end to sexual harassment at the workplace.
• Enactment of legislation to expand social protection to include
universal National Health Insurance
• An end to the deliberate practice of frustrating trade union representation by archaic anti — union trade union recognition laws as is the experience of our fraternal trade unions in Trinidad and Tobago.
CCL CONDEMNS the apartheid genocidal like actions of the
Government of the Dominican Republic against its citizens of
Haitian decedent and calls on CARICOM to expel the Dominican Republic from any association with CARICOM until and unless the rights of citizenship of Haitian Dominicans are immediately and fully restored.
CCL recognises the positive steps of US President Barack Obama in his efforts to normalise relations with Cuba and to end its cold war hostilities. WE call for the immediate removal of the economic and financial embargo against Cuba.
CCL calls for a positive engagement by the United States with
Venezuela
Finally dear comrades, we remember those Leaders and workers who contributed to our Struggles and in this regard we salute them.
To all our Leaders past and present we say happy May Day.
Long live the workers of the Caribbean!
Long live the Caribbean Congress of Labour!
Forward ever backward never!
© Copyright 2015 by thebahamasweekly.com
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