With the Government of Anguilla, demitting office, the Minister of Labour, Mrs. Cora Richardson-Hodge, the driving force behind the new Labour Relations Law, and its significant provisions, has warned Mr. Jerome Roberts, her election contender, not to touch the legislation.
One of the provisions of the law she is proud about is that it guarantees the permanent employment of workers in the hotel sector, rather than on short-term contracts.
The Minister, who is now ending her first term as the elected representative for the East End/Sandy Hill District, was responding to Mr. Roberts’ comments that he would do some re-tweaking to the legislation should he be elected in a new APM Government.
Mrs. Richardson-Hodge has been serving as the Minister of Home Affairs including Labour, and has led the process of Electoral and Constitutional Reform. As part of the constitutional amendments, it is now possible to have island-wide voting, in addition to the district general elections, thus creating more representation and democracy in the Anguilla House of Assembly.
Her warning to Mr. Roberts, not to interfere with the Labour Relations Law, came as she joined her Anguilla United Front Government colleagues in a virtual public meeting on Tuesday night, June 2.
“Let’s talk about Labour,” she said. “For over thirty years, employers and employees have been grappling with an outdated Labour Law – one that is no longer suited to our purposes and the needs of the people.
Administration after administration promised – but was unable, for one reason or the other, to deliver a new Labour Law for the people of Anguilla. When I took office I met a draft Labour Law there. It was a draft Code but it was not complete. Most critically, it was missing a significant piece from its legislation and that was dealing with short-term contracts. It made no mention of addressing short-term contracts. Many of you will know that when this Anguilla United Front Government took office in 2015, short-term contracts were already in existence here in Anguilla. They were brought in while the Anguilla United Movement (AUM) Government was in power.”
Since then the AUM has been restyled the APM (Anguilla Progressive Movement) of which Mr. Roberts is again a member. In addressing him and the APM, Minister Richardson-Hodge asked: “What exactly do they plan to do with the Labour Law? Mr. Roberts, what do you plan to do with your tweak?”
She went on: “l must express grave concern over why the APM feel the need to interfere with the legislation – something that they made no real attempt to put in place. Do the AUM/APM intend to change the sections related to one-year contracts? We don’t know. Do the AUM/APM intend to change the sections having to do with severance pay? We don’t know. Do the AUM/APM intend to scale back holidays from fifteen days to twelve days as it was before? Anguillians, you don’t know.
“People of Anguilla, and our Anguillian employees, you must tell the members of the AUM/APM not to touch the Labour Law. Tell them leave it alone; leave it to hell alone because if you, the AUM/APM, couldn’t fix it when you were in Government, five years ago, you certainly will not be able to fix anything if you ever get elected again.”
