CARIBBEAN CONGRESS OF LABOUR
General Secretary’s Report
To
17th Triennial Delegates’ Congress
St. George’s, Grenada
19 – 22 October 2010
“Repositioning For Continued Success”
Overview
As we gather to review the period 2007 – 2009 we will observe the significant areas of concern not only to our leaders but to the citizens of the region. The dreams of the founding fathers of the current integration process continue to elude us and while the labour movement may have preceded the political movement that led to internal self government and independence circumstances are of such that we have been denied our right to play that significant role in the region’s development that can impact positively on the citizens’ well being. The trade union movement has consistently called for a new form of governance which places the citizens at the centre of development. To achieve this, the movement has requested its involvement in national decision making processes and not only the consultation process when governments wish to have validation for decisions made inimical to the workers interest.
This period has seen a decline in the confidence workers demonstrate not only against their trade unions but against governments. This dwindling confidence is not only attributed to the performance of the labour movement but the economic and political programmes that are embraced by the region. We have experienced the world economic meltdown which has created severe hardship to the citizens of the region, but yet at the same time the region continues to embrace the same economic programmes that brought us where we are. The CCL has promulgated in 2007 its blue print for regional development which it has dubbed as ‘Labour Platform for the Caribbean’.
While the secretariat has chosen to circulate it within the various regional institutions and has had engagements and responses we are yet to see national approaches guided by the Platform. The time has come for the movement to rethink its position by returning to the drawing board with a view of embracing a philosophy that is compatible with our cultural development. It is against this backdrop that this report is introduced for your consideration.
Administrative Committee
During the period under review the Administrative Committee held five (5) meetings and the attendance can be considered to be fair even though there was a decline in attendance. This decline can be attributed to the CCL’s change in protocol that members cover their expenses to these meetings. This act is a departure from what has existed in the past and is influenced by the CCL’s inability to cover the expenses for members in the Committee. It is regrettable that the Jamaica Confederation of Trade Unions, one of the major affiliates of the organization has failed to attend these meetings, and has indicated that their inability to attend is premised on their financial circumstances.
General Council
Matters discussed at General Council during its four (4) Meetings in the period under review included:
· The strengthening of links with Hemispheric and International TUC bodies;
· The strengthening of links with regional institutions;
· The pursuing of Regional Associate (CARICOM) status for the CCL which can lead to CCL having status for officers;
· The establishment of structures to enhance the credibility of CCL as it relates to presenting a new image of the CCL;
· The strengthening and deepening of the Caribbean integration process;
· Strengthening of affiliates; and
· The status and treatment of migrant workers
Affiliates
Affiliates have been challenged by the region’s thrust towards being integrated and being influenced by new trading rules.
The issue of migrant workers has impacted on the job market and has forced affiliates in some cases to choose between protecting their nationals through agitating against an open door policy that has seen the reduction in working conditions and the suppression of wages.
The affiliates in some countries are also being challenged by two sets of migrant workers:
· Those that originate from within CARICOM/CARIFORUM; and
· Those that originate from Asia.
As it relates to Asian workers this has attracted the attention of the CCL. This matter was raised first by the Grenada TUC, but appears to be a common factor across the region where it is found that workers particularly from China are brought to the region and have imported working cultures which reduce the working conditions that are held as acceptable.
An examination of this issue has revealed that several of the companies and workers are allowed to work in the region through bi-lateral arrangements between China and regional governments or through grants and loans provided by the CDB for projects in member states of CARICOM.
Complaints consistent with the conduct of Chinese Companies have been raised by the affiliates in Dominica, Grenada, Guyana and Trinidad & Tobago. CCL has written the CARICOM Secretary General, the President of the CDB, lead Prime Minister for the implementation of the CSME, the Hon David Thompson, Prime Minister of Barbados, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit, lead Prime Minister on Labour issues within CARICOM and the Ministers of Labour throughout the region.
The CCL conscious of the gravity of this situation wrote the Secretary General of CARICOM requesting consideration of the formulation of protocols to address the plight of migrant workers as it relates to those that originate within CARICOM and those that are extra regional. Two meetings were held with the Assistant Secretary General with responsibility for Human and Social Development. The issue is listed to be addressed by COSHOD with a view to having the attention of the Heads of Government.
The issue of trade union and human rights has been raised by the Guyana TUC and the CCL has given assistance by researching the area and preparing the case that was submitted to the UN Human Rights Commission on Minority Rights. This report has been used by the Guyana TUC to advance its case in the international fora.
The participation of the Jamaica Confederation of Trade Unions has not been as consistent and as strident as in the past. The CCL sought to engage the representatives of the Confederation on numerous occasions but their promises to be more participative never materialized.
The affiliate in Curacao continued to stay away and in as much as commitments were given that they would regularize their status this did not occur.
Communications
Conscious that we have a responsibility to influence change within the trade union community and the wider society the CCL with its limited resources chose to develop a website as one of its tools within its vision to communicate and educate its members and more so to influence change in behavior within the wider society. The website can be accessed by google at Caribbean Congress of Labour or http://caribbeancongressoflabour.org/.
Labour Platform
The referred to Platform was approved at the previous Congress and is viewed as the Trade Union Agenda in influencing the political, economic and social agendas for the Caribbean labour movement. As the region deepened the integration process and the implementation of the single economic space continued, the CCL was able to use this Platform to advance its case in protecting Labour’s gains by influencing the agenda within CARICOM. To this end the CCL has had two meetings with the directorate of CARICOM, recommending the discussion of Labour’s Platform in the meeting of the CARICOM Subcommittee on Labour. This sub-Committee decided that the recommendations advanced in the Labour Platform be separated and referred to both COTED and COSHOD Standing Committees in CARICOM. The CCL is awaiting a response of the Standing Committees.
International Bodies
For the period under review the General Secretary held a number of meetings with international organizations. These organizations included the European Union, Canadian High Commission, ILO, TUCA, ITUC, and the Commonwealth Secretariat.
European Union
The meeting with the European Union revealed their willingness to enhance and address issues that contribute to the development of free and fair trade with specific reference to the deepening of the Caribbean integration process. It is expected that this engagement will continue with a view to CCL acquiring funding for capacity building for regional labour to support their effective participation and contribution to the integration process.
Canadian High Commission
The CCL was invited to attend two meetings with the Canadian High Commission, one in Guyana and the other in Barbados. Discussions were centred on the trade negotiations with Canada and CARICOM and both parties agreed that labour has a pivotal role to play in these negotiations. To this end the High Commissioners in Barbados and Guyana sought to garner labour’s thoughts on the negotiations with specific reference to the negotiation of a social dimension to the agreement.
International Labour Organization (ILIO)
There were a number of discussions with the ILO on technical assistance to the CCL and areas of cooperation on issues of labour. During the period under review the ILO has provided assistance with respect to the preparation of project proposals with significant support being provided to the region’s decent work project. The CCL has also participated in two major conferences with the ILO playing a pivotal role in arriving at the regional decent work agenda and decisions to address the impact of the economic meltdown of the region.
TUCA
The CCL participated in the activities led by TUCA at the business forum of leaders that was held in Trinidad & Tobago in April of 2009. This meeting was addressed by the President with the General Secretary, trade union leaders and CCL Trustee, Brother Joseph Goddard in attendance.
The General Council meeting of 2008 took a decision that CCL should seek affiliation of TUCA. The process was started and TUCA advised that its statutes make provision that any union accepted into TUCA must first affiliate to the ITUC. An application was made to the ITUC and the CCL has been advised that affiliation has not been granted based on the fact that the CCL is not an organization with national character. As such the CCL application for affiliation was denied.
Commonwealth Secretariat
The Commonwealth Secretariat has on its agenda the matters of climate change and food security. On this note the CCL has been engaged by the Secretariat in three meetings on these issues. Meetings held which the CCL attended focused on climate change and its impact on food security. At a forum organized in St Lucia the CCL was invited to make a presentation on climate change. The General Secretary facilitated this presentation. At the other two meetings the views of the CCL were sought on the issues of climate change.
Office of Trade Negotiations (OTN)
Following the 30th Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) held 2-4 July 2009 in Guyana, the Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery (CRNM) was changed to the Office of Trade Negotiations (OTN). Prior to this occurrence the General Secretary, Lincoln Lewis and the then Director General of the CRNM, Ambassador Henry Gill, on behalf of their respective organizations, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that outlined a framework designed to formalize and strengthen their existing relationship. This deepening of the relationship between the organizations was the initiative of the CCL. Following the change in nomenclature a new MOU was signed in October to reflect the new name of the Organisation.
The OTN and the CCL have agreed to regular consultations on matters pertaining to the activities in negotiating trade agreements. To date there have been two structured meetings under the MOU and the CCL has formally tabled its position on the present CARICOM-Canada trade negotiations.
The CCL has also agreed to a capacity building programme on trade negotiations for leaders in the trade union movement. It is expected that the OTN will facilitate this programme.
CARIFORUM
The CCL has been engaging with CARIFORUM on an on-going basis on the issue of capacity building and institutional strengthening for labour organizations across the region. CCL has made recommendations to CARIFOUM on the areas that CCL deems important to labour and this was achieved through CCL’s contribution to the Non-State-Actors proposals. It is expected that funding will be provided to the actors to implement their various programmes once the necessary criteria as laid out by the EU are met.
Caribbean Agricultural Research Development Institute (CARDI)
The region continues to experience a large external food bill within the magnitude of US two billion dollars (US$2b). Cognizant that one of the missions within the integration process is to move towards food sufficiency which can well minimize external imports, the CCL, guided by principles in the Labour Platform to the Caribbean, engaged CARDI in discussions on this matter.
Three bi-lateral meetings were held with CARDI and among the issues addressed were
· The region’s high import bill;
· The role of the parties in optimising the production of the region’s indigenous food in light of the EPA between the CARIFORUM and the EU
· The security of the region’s food; and
· The need for structured and continued collaboration of the parties on the issues surrounding food security.
The President, Sis Jacqueline Jack and the General Secretary Bro Lincoln Lewis attended these meetings.
In addition to the above the CCL tabled a number of observations and recommendations as to measures that could be considered as ways to contribute towards the increased food production in the region and thereby reduce the region’s food import bill. The parties agreed to a two-day meeting at which the region’s trade union leaders would be able to actively participate and engage in dialogue with CARDI. However CARDI found it very difficult to source funding for this meeting.
The CCL has not aborted this initiative and is committed to playing a pivotal role in addressing the issue of food security for the Caribbean.
CARICOM Court of Justice (CCJ)
The CCL continues to be represented on the Board of Trustees of the CCJ. Professor Harold Lutchman, the CCL original member has demitted office due to the statutory retirement regulations and is now replaced by Dr Linton Lewis a nominee from the St Vincent and the Grenadines Public Service Union.