News | 20 February 2024
The Director and Staff of the ILO Decent Work Team and Office for the Caribbean are deeply saddened by the death of Paula Marie Robinson, former ILO Senior Specialist for Workers’Activities, who passed away on 19 February 2024. A national of Jamaica, Ms Robinson was born on 24 October 1955.
In June 2003, she joined the ILO Caribbean Office as the first female Specialist for Workers’ Activities and worked tirelessly to support trade unions leading up to her retirement in October 2017. During her tenure, Ms Robinson spearheaded several noteworthy initiatives.
She was the driving force behind the establishment of national level cooperatives of domestic workers across the region as well as the Caribbean Domestic Workers’ Network. She was also instrumental to the advancement of a European Union-funded bipartite project that sought to facilitate the participation of CARIFORUM civil society in regional development and integration through the involvement of the Caribbean Employers’ Confederation and the Caribbean Congress of Labour.
With a keen eye for detail and a flair for writing, Ms Robinson consistently made stellar contributions to the ILO Caribbean Newslink as part of the Editorial Committee. She was perfectionist in nature and passionate about speaking out on issues that were important to her.
She was determined to deliver results despite challenges that came her way. In her personal time, she enjoyed the culinary arts as well as hosting friends and family. Ms. Robinson started her international trade union career in 1984 when she worked for the WCOTP (founding member of Education International).
In this international teachers’ union, she served as the Co-ordinator of Development Assistance Programmes and was responsible for workers’ education activities in Africa and Latin America. She left the international labour movement for a time to work with refugees and asylum seekers.
In 1997, she returned to the labour movement as Education Secretary for the International Federation of Building and Wood Workers (IFBWW). During her tenure with the IFBWW, Ms Robinson worked with trade unions in Africa and Latin America to develop workers’ education programmes.
She was also Focal Point for Gender and Child Labour issues, which brought her into contact with trade unions in Asia. She leaves behind her husband Geir, her mother Pat and siblings. The Office extends condolences to Ms Robinson’s family and loved ones.
The St. Kitts-Nevis Trades and Labour Union (SKNT&LU) joins in paying tribute to the late Ms. Paula Robinson, and hereby extends condolences to her colleagues, family members and friends. Of note, a minute of silence was observed at the SKNT&LU’s executive meeting held on Wednesday 21st February 2024, at the Union’s headquarters Masses House on Church Street in Basseterre.
President Sydney Bridgewater has saluted the late Ms. Paula Robinson for having served the SKNT&LU well whilst also commending her years of dedicated service and sterling contribution regionally and internationally.
