By Tahna Weston
The Antigua and Barbuda Workers Union (ABWU) is putting plans in place to celebrate its 58th anniversary under the theme “ABWU Connect-Working Smarter to Serve you better”.
General Secretary of the ABWU Senator David Massiah explained that the formation of the union on May 16, 1967 stemmed from disagreements regarding work issues and involved late key figures such as Sir George H Walter, Donald Halstead, Sir Keithlyn Smith, and Malcolm Daniel.
The union’s Constitution was developed on May 24th and the ABWU was officially registered on May 31st as a legal organisation. Therefore, the period between May 16th and May 31st is typically recognized as the union’s founding.
“You know, most of those stalwarts are not with us but the Antigua and Barbuda Workers’ Union more or less started its formation when you had the dismissal of our great National Hero, Sir George H Walter.
“Donald Halstead and a few others, were dismissed from the Antigua Trades and Labour Union at the time and that took place on the 5th of May in 1967. That dismissal more or less came about because these stalwarts felt that there has to be a division between the legislative arm of government and the union because at the time, you had the premier of the country who was also the president of the union.,” Massiah said.
The ABWU boasts a significant historical legacy, and a point of considerable pride is the instrumental role its founding fathers played in developing the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Code.
Massiah says these individuals were deeply committed to the working class and believed in the necessity of improved treatment for workers. Drawing from the early trade union movement, they recognized that workers’ rights were being violated, he said.
“And so, part of their vision was to more or less to establish a set of regulations, a code whereby it would be an understanding to create this minimum standard where you cannot go below that threshold.
“So, that was done and more or less the Labour Code for us in Antigua and Barbuda was established back in 1974-75 under the Antigua and Barbuda Workers’ Union – with the government at the time that was a pro-labour government as far as we’re concerned – the Progressive Labour Movement, which was then led by the late Sir George H Walter. And so, in 1975, the Labour Code was enacted in Antigua and Barbuda,” the ABWU’s general secretary recounts.
Massiah noted that it was through the efforts of the union’s founding fathers that Social Security was developed.
“It was at the Antigua and Barbuda Workers Union conference, at one of its conferences, that the resolution for the development of the Social Security was done by one Mr Prince Hurst, a worker who used to be working in Curacao in the oil fields at that time and came back to Antigua as a member of the Antigua and Barbuda Workers Union. And they piloted that resolution, which gave birth to the development of the Social Security.
“So yes, we are very proud of how these visionaries, and I say visionary because what has happened, that foundation that has been laid is what we are moving from today. We are building on top of it. And that is what our founding fathers represented for us during those years,” Massiah said.
It was noted that this rich and impactful history has profoundly influenced the labour and industrial landscape of Antigua and Barbuda; and the ABWU has consistently championed the protection of workers’ rights.
Looking back at its history, the ABWU was also responsible for significant advancements such as the shortened 40-hour work week, equal pay for women and men, paid maternity leave, and the introduction of severance benefits, among other things. Notably, the ABWU initiated the push for paternity leave within collective agreements, an area it continues to advocate for and improve upon today.
Through its affiliations with international trade union bodies, the union adopted and integrated progressive changes into the Antiguan context, often pioneering these advancements in collective agreements.
The ABWU, Massiah says, remains committed to evolving, developing, and adapting to the changing needs of the working class. As new changes emerge, the union recognizes the importance of educating its members about its history, its direction, and their crucial role in contributing to the workforce, he added.
