Mrs Evalie Bradley, the Anguilla United Front’s candidate, a former Labour Commissioner and Principal Assistant Secretary in the Anguilla Public Service, has called for “principles of equity and social justice in the work place.”
Mrs Bradley made the call at the AUF’s rally at Welches on Saturday night, October 11, saying there were complaints in the public about cases of discrimination in employment on the island. “The International Labour Organisation has what is referred to as the Decent Work Agenda,” she told her listeners. “This means that all work is decent once it is undertaken in conditions of freedom, equity, security and human dignity. And Anguillians, irrespective of who they support are entitled to work provided work is available. They should never be refused a job on the basis of which party or who they support.
Mrs Bradley continued: “I was very disappointed to hear from a young man, in search of work, that the first question he was asked by a contractor was: who he supported. This is wrong and must be condemned. I have heard of expatriates being given jobs over Anguillians because of exploitation. If an Anguillian is paid $100 per day for a job then there should be no question about an expatriate receiving the same level of pay for similar work. This is wrong and must be condemned.”
“These are principles of equity and social justice in the work place. These are principles upon which justice, unity, harmony and peace in the workplace, and in the nation, are built.
“This rock belongs to all of us, and to move forward these guiding principles must be our watch words, as the Golden Rule remind us ‘do unto others as we would have them do unto us’. This would indeed augur well for a good, smooth and harmonious working relationship.
“As a former Labour Commissioner, I feel qualified to speak on these issues with a measure of authority because of my firsthand experience in dealing with the various workplace issues. We are a service-oriented economy and the value and quality of our workforce must stand out. We must begin to understand the linkage between economic growth and development and how we do business.
“A few years ago a project referred to as ‘the Promotion of Management – Labour Cooperation’, spearheaded by the International Labour Office in Trinidad, was initiated here based on the principles of tripartism. This actually involves Government, employer and employee participation in labour relations and conflict issues. The AUM team will support efforts to bring this kind of partnership together for a more meaningful and harmonious working relationship among all the relevant stakeholders.
“I must at this juncture commend and applaud the new visionaries of the Anguilla Hotel and Allied Workers Association for their efforts in reviving that organisation, and exercising their rights in accordance with ILO Convention 87 which gives them the right of freedom of association and the right to organise; and Convention 98 which gives them the right to collective bargaining. I have no doubt that the AUF team will put the enabling legislation in place to ensure that these issues are adequately dealt with.
“The present economic challenges demand that we must be more responsive to what is taking place in the employment sector, and a well-structured and effectively functioning union must be recognised and seen as a system to support the socio-economic advancement and sustainability of our island.”
The former Labour Commissioner added: “Efficiency, productivity, honesty, integrity, fairness and equity in the job market must be our guiding principles. As an enlightened people, in an enlightened age, we must move away from the negativity of unionised labour. Being unionised is not just about securing a better wage packet, but instead an opportunity to embrace and recognise the values that an efficiently and well-run organisation bring to its employers, employees and the nation as a whole in terms of education, training and workplace ethics, etc.”
