Fellow Anguillians, today May 3rd, 2021 marks Anguilla’s observance of Labour Day, a day dedicated to workers across the world. And so, I would like on behalf of the Government and people of Anguilla and on my own behalf to thank all of you, particularly those who serve in front line positions in the public and private sectors, for your dedication, particularly during these trying times. Your labour has not gone unnoticed. Today we salute you.
This is my first address since taking up the mantle of Minister of Home Affairs with responsibility for Labour in July last year. As I speak with you today, Anguilla continues to go through a period of national pause as we grapple with the effects of a Covid 19 cluster which is affecting our entire nation.
As it pertains to areas of labour in particular, the present situation is quite grim. The vast number of our hotel employees continue to be unemployed and underemployed. So too are employees in allied businesses such as restaurants, tour operators, ferry boat operators and car rentals, among others. With 51% of all jobs directly or indirectly supported by Tourism, this has placed Anguilla in an existential crisis.
The huge reduction in aggregate demand has also been felt in other businesses as tourism accounts for close to 80 per cent of Anguilla’s gross domestic product when direct, indirect, and induced impacts are taken into account. This has brought to the fore the glaring inadequacies regarding social safety nets including provisions for Severance Pay and Unemployment Benefits just to name a few.
In the absence of such, Government has been making subsistence payments of EC$1,000 to affected workers since March 2020. While this has been welcomed, we all admit that this is wholly inadequate.
It points to the need to have the requisite legislative basis to provide for building robust funds, which can be tapped in times of need. This is what is meant by “Building Social Resilience”.
I am counting on the support of the Premier, as Leader of Government Business, the Attorney General, and my colleagues in Executive Council and the House of Assembly in helping me to make this a reality.
It is also my expectation that Employers will embrace such initiatives. As a country, we cannot be found wanting again when the next crisis comes around, as it inevitably will.
One of the features of this COVID-19 global pandemic environment has been the switch to remote working. And I am happy to see that our Digital Nomads programme continues to attract positive attention, even to the extent that a number of our digital nomads are making investments in land and housing.
It will no doubt take some time to determine the sociological impacts of such nice enterprise in terms of balancing work and family time, for example. However, it has undoubtedly demonstrated the need for labour to be equipped to function and thrive in the digital sphere.
This will require investment in education, training as well as deep commitment, and nimble alertness.
Confronting the challenges of the COVID-19 global pandemic has meant addressing some key questions:
- What will be the future for individual frontline workers in the public and private sectors who simply refuse to take the vaccine?
- How are workers’ rights protected where a minority decides against vaccinations?
- What latitude does the law provide for employers where instances raised above arise?
Where opportunities for success emerging from hardship present themselves, there must also be an abundance of maturity, thoughtfulness, compassion, and teamwork. As we have already seen, simple miss-steps have serious rippling effects.
In the meantime, as Policy Makers and Decision Makers we are charged with making the tough decisions required to ensure the continued good health of our nation’s people after careful and reflective consideration of the issues that may be brought before us.
We are cautiously optimistic about our ability to reopen and jumpstart the economy so that our people can get back to work thus providing for themselves and their families. Therefore, the Covid 19 vaccine is a key pillar in making that a reality. I am once again appealing to all persons who are eligible, and who have not already done so, to take the vaccine. Vaccinate for you, your family and the economy.
We will also be working with the relevant stakeholders to put the requisite policy, regulatory and legislative requirements in place so that persons applying for work permits or work permit renewals will have to be vaccinated as a precondition.
I implore our labour sector in Anguilla to give serious thought, once again to the potential benefits of Unionizing – to secure fair pay and monetary remuneration, decent working conditions and requisite benefits and rights.
The Ministry of Labour and the Department of Labour, while fully supporting fair and equitable working conditions and productivity for all employers and employees cannot be a substitute for Unions.
In the same vein, I take this opportunity to speak directly to all employers – particularly those in the hospitality sector – to see your employees, at all levels, as valuable assets.
It is important to make them feel valued and worthwhile members of your organization. Your profitability is directly hinged to their productivity.
