ST. GEORGE’S, May 1, 2009 – The current global economic and financial crisis should not be a reason for “unnecessary’’ firing of workers or for abandoning our commitment to the less fortunate of society, Labour Minister Glynis Roberts has said. The minister, in an address delivered in St. Andrew at the annual May Day rally of the Grenada Trades’ Union Council (GTUC), said the government of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) intends to maintain “cordial relations’’ with trade unions and other social and economic partners to overcome the challenges of the crisis. “We must continue the collaboration aimed at formulating a coordinated policy response that first and foremost ensures there are no unnecessary business closures and job losses,’’ the Labour Minister said. “Worker-layoff must be an absolutely last resort. Working people and taxpayers are the victims of this crisis and should not be victimised any further.’’ Mrs. Roberts, the NDC MP for St. George South, said government is interested in partnership that is “proactive’’ and which would examine avenues for national development. The approach, she said, is to have “a mechanism where we meet with labour’s representatives to analyse local, regional and international economic trends and decide what, if anything, we can do to protect ourselves, safeguard our economy and shore up employment.’’ The minister added that the meetings should include “the development of proposals to kick-start the economy and to keep it buoyant. In other words, I’m imploring you to be proactive and to explore opportunities, even in the midst of such a deep economic and financial crisis, and to join the national effort to boost productivity and improve our competitiveness in the region and the world.’’ Mrs. Roberts, who also has responsibility in government for Social Services and Ecclesiastical Affairs, said the crisis is seriously impacting on the “social fabric’’ of society, with particular consequences for some segments of the nation. “In the predicament being faced by our most vulnerable citizens – workers, the unemployed, the poor, the elderly and our children – I appeal to all, including trade unions, to demonstrate to an ever greater degree that we are indeed our brother’s and sister’s keeper,’’ she said. “Notwithstanding the economic and financial squeeze, we must still strive to meet our commitment to eradicate poverty in our society, to end alcohol and drug abuse, and violence against women and children.’’ Mrs. Roberts assured the GTUC and its members of the commitment of Prime Minister Tillman Thomas and his administration to working with them. “Let’s reposition, retool, regroup, organise and re-organise to overcome the challenges of the current global financial and economic crisis,’’ Minister Roberts urged. “In unity, there is strength. In team-work, there is success.’’ Here’s the full text of the May Day address delivered by Labour Minister Glynis Roberts Let me begin by thanking the Grenada Trades’ Union Council for inviting me to address this year’s May Day celebration. On receiving the invitation, I immediately accepted. And the urgency and paramountcy of being here were redoubled after missing the recent 9th Biennial Convention of the TUC. I understand that my Parliamentary and Party colleague, Hon. Peter David, ably substituted; but I was determined that on May Day there will be no substitute. As Minister of Labour, I was going to make it my duty, come hell or high water, to be at May Day 2009. I note that the theme of your celebration is, “Repositioning Labour in The Face of The International Financial Crisis.’’ This is a crisis, Sisters and Brothers, that was not created or precipitated by Grenada or any of the countries of the Developing World. But we have become engulfed in it. The crisis is not the making of ordinary working people of Grenada, the Caribbean and the rest of the Third World. However, we have become its biggest victims. Workers and taxpayers – not just in poor countries as ours but in rich countries as well – are paying a heavy price. The economies of the world – large and small alike – are so closely integrated that financial and economic stress in one of the major markets in the United States and Europe is speedily and forcefully transmitted to other markets, including those in the Caribbean. The financial crisis emerged to public view in the middle of 2007 and progressively worsened in the ensuing months. We watched as stock markets in the U.S. began tumbling and large financial institutions started collapsing. The shockwave of the crisis hit home on a regional scale when the Trinidad and Tobago Government was forced to take over the operations of C.L. Financial and its subsidiaries like CLICO. Simply put, this crisis is a case of those charged with managing other people’s money – including insurance and retirement funds, as well as pensions – gambling with the people’s money. In the process of accumulating personal wealth in the hundreds of thousands and millions of dollars, they gambled and lost other people’s money, putting the people’s livelihood in jeopardy. So we the taxpaying working class and the poor of the world didn’t provoke this global financial Tsunami, but we are being battered by its ripple effects. It’s a contagious disease that manifests itself in Grenada and other Developing Countries in the forms of: * Rising food prices. * Contraction in foreign investment projects. * Cutback in remittances. (We know that remittances are a major part of our Gross Domestic Product, and are an important source of spending money for individuals and families). * Scale back in foreign aid from rich countries that now have to pump trillions of dollars into saving their own economies. * Slowdown in tourist arrivals, which means diminishing revenue from this sector. And what all the above point to is an expected slower economic growth in Grenada and other poor countries this year, with people finding it harder to pay for basic necessities like food, clothing and shelter. And those fortunate enough to still have a job must confront the daily uncertainty and the worry of their company going out of business and they becoming another unemployed worker. I’m sure it’s all our wish and our earnest desire that this global financial and economic crisis will quickly end and the world will shortly be back on the road to recovery. But there is no evidence to suggest a recovery is expected anytime soon, although we could be surprised and it could happen. However, no matter whether the crisis is long or short, it behooves us all to adopt a pragmatic and precautionary position, and to be cooperative and sensible in tackling it. Our ancestors, who had far less formal education and training than we have been privileged to have, did not wither, did not surrender, when they found themselves jobless, penniless and without any prospects of obtaining gainful employment or money. They responded with imaginative measures such as pooling their meagre resources to form Susu, and worked cooperatively in home-building by organising Maroons. We, too, must show the same fortitude and creativity today. Your own TUC President Sister Madonna Harford, at your 9th Biennial Convention, put forward some suggestions on how the labour movement can reposition itself in the face of the present global financial crisis. She urged all economic stakeholders, including unions, to work together to develop a stable industrial climate, advising that labour groups ought to show restraint in terms of their demands, and also to find ways to educate their members on the prevailing and consequential need for such action. I endorse the sentiments of Sister Madonna Harford. As one of the stakeholders, the National Democratic Congress Government intends to maintain cordial relations with all our social and economic partners – labour, the private sector and non-governmental organisations. We must move away from the traditional adversarial modus operandi with labour, where government and unions generally meet to resolve contentious issues of wages and salaries and to arbitrate disputes. The tripartite partnership that we have begun should continue and be made into a permanent fixture, well beyond the end of this crisis. In the immediate, in the here and now, we must continue the collaboration aimed at formulating a coordinated policy response that first and foremost ensures there are no unnecessary business closures and job losses. Worker-layoff must be an absolutely last resort. Working people and taxpayers are the victims of this crisis and should not be victimised any further. Our partnership approach should also include a mechanism where we meet with labour’s representatives to analyse local, regional and international economic trends and decide what, if anything, we can do to protect ourselves, safeguard our economy and shore up employment. Our meetings should also include the development of proposals to kick-start the economy and to keep it buoyant. In other words, I’m imploring you to be proactive and to explore opportunities, even in the midst of such a deep economic and financial crisis, and to join the national effort to boost productivity and improve our competitiveness in the region and the world. Social Effects However, while we focus on the economics of the crisis – the bread and butter components of it – we must not forget that it is also stretching and straining the social fabric of our society. Notwithstanding the economic and financial squeeze, we must still strive to meet our commitment to eradicate poverty in our society, to end alcohol and drug abuse, and violence against women and children. We have to unearth avenues for maintaining and enhancing social services such as health and education. In the predicament being faced by our most vulnerable citizens – workers, the unemployed, the poor, the elderly and our children – I appeal to all, including trade unions, to demonstrate to an ever greater degree that we are indeed our brother’s and sister’s keeper. I also want to leave with you the reminder that the Ministry of Labour has an open-door policy. My Ministry, and this Government led by Prime Minister Hon. Tillman Thomas, are committed to working with you for the betterment of our nation. Let’s reposition, retool, regroup, organise and re-organise to overcome the challenges of the current global financial and economic crisis. In unity, there is strength. In team-work, there is success. Thank you, Brothers and Sisters. Do have a safe and enjoyable May Day celebration. Source:ndcgrenada.org/