In a previous article, we looked extensively at what is a Collective Agreement. In today’s article, we will briefly look at Collective Bargaining.
Most if not all persons have agreed that Trades & Labour Unions were developed to grant workers equal bargaining power with their employers, who traditionally had the ability to exclusively set terms and conditions of work, pay and other benefits as well.
However, it has now become common knowledge that Trade Unions represent workers within a given industry in negotiations with their employers. Thus, since the Trade Unions comprised a group of workers, it has a greater voice than if employees were dealing with employers’ individually.
For example, Trade Unions are credited with abolishing slavery, sweatshops and child Labour in many countries around the world because they pushed for those practices and many others to come to an end.
However, the International Labour Organization (ILO) CO98-Right to Organize and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949 (No. 98) guarantees employees’ right to bargain collectively through their chosen Trade Union representatives. Yet, still today some employers are still denying some of their workers, the right to join a Trade Union of their choice. The St. Kitts-Nevis Trades & Labour Union is prepared to eliminate this type of intimidation wherever it rears its ugly head because we will not allow any worker in our very beautiful country to go through the same kind of intimidation that our forebears went through and fought to eliminate during their time. We will not go back. Oh It’s True! It’s Damn True! You better believe it!
It is also a given fact that Trade Unions can and do organize strikes, boycotts, go-slows and sit-ins to get employers’ to consider their proposals submitted to them on behalf of their members.
In fact, just recently technicians at the St. Kitts Cable Company took industrial action, the second within two months, in order to force the management and directors to pay them overdue wages/salaries increases.
However, on 14th April, 2017 we learned that an increase of 10% wages/salaries was approved by the Board of Directors to be applied to all levels of staffers retroactively from January, 2017.
The St. Kitts-Nevis Trades & Labour Union applaud those workers for standing up for their rights against their employer, who no doubt are financially stronger than them. They have displayed the type of courage that our forebears displayed many moons ago. Therefore, we are saying to them keep your focused because one battle won does not mean that the struggle is over. Oh It’s The Truth! It’s Damn True! you better believe it!
Let us now continue by looking at employee’s welfare.