ABWU Refutes PM Browne’s Allegations
St John’s, Antigua – January 13, 2025
The Antigua and Barbuda Workers’ Union (ABWU) has strongly rebutted Prime Minister Gaston Browne’s claims regarding the union’s actions and the proposed national minimum wage increase, labeling his comments as baseless and politically motivated.
The ABWU criticized the timing of the wage proposal, calling it a “by-election gimmick” and citing the Prime Minister’s track record of addressing workers’ concerns only under electoral pressure. The union highlighted that the National Minimum Wage Advisory Committee was inactive for years, with the last wage review conducted in 2013 before a delayed update in 2022. Despite unions’ research-based recommendation for a $12.50 wage, the government implemented only a $9.00 minimum wage.
The ABWU also addressed accusations regarding the severance and rehiring of workers during the pandemic, stating that the union fought and resolved the matter in court to ensure fair treatment. They criticized the government’s lack of leadership in securing fair wages for workers at Jolly Beach Resort and Spa, a property under government influence, and highlighted ongoing challenges with representation.
In its response, the ABWU emphasized its achievements in securing benefits and wage increases for workers, surpassing the government’s efforts. The union reaffirmed its commitment to defending workers’ rights and improving their economic well-being, while calling for continued unity among its members to combat the rising cost of living exacerbated by government policies.
The union vowed to remain steadfast in its advocacy for workers, challenging what it described as the Prime Minister’s misrepresentation and political tactics.
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This GERIATRIC SENATOR needs to exit the Senate. UPP promised 25% YOUTH appointment…….GERIATRIC DAVID MASSIAH is no young bull!!!
David Messiah: Not fit to lead this Union in this new era. His leadership style is antiquated and the personnel which he leads has been compromised.. Too many workers in the industry have been complaining about the Unions’ staff members being seen fraternizing at the various hotel plants.
He even failed the Airport workers…but hey, he will continue to collect Union dues out of their salaries and wages.
E NO LOOK GOOD!
But as I have intimated, these Antiguan Garots will NEVER get up off their asses and effect a change in their place of employment. All they are prepared to do is….you guessed it….COMPLAIN.
ABWU is in bed with hoteliers. It cares nothing about employees!!!
What benefits you got for us! You always push for wage increases as you all get 10% of whatever we get.
Plus when we think you all come to discuss our business with management. You all in the restaurants eating, drinking and laughing up with them.
You all don’t care about us. Mr. PM you are 100% correct. We feeling it. Get the rid of dem gi awe pleaseeee.
This so-called union enjoys making love to Sandals. They conspired with Lovell Limpy Joe IMF Pimp to allow Sandals to hoodwinked them into holding on to our ABST MONIES!!!
What a RIPOFF!!! This union is no good.
The ABWU recommended a minimum wage of $12.50 per hour ? That translates to $2000 monthly. The irony is, this would have exceeded the minimum wage for hotel workers who the ABWU represents.
Who is really involved in gimmickry ? A minimum wage of 2000 monthly would result in an addition increase of $450 monthly in the minimum wage for workers who the Union do not represent, but instead ABWU recently accepted an increase of $20 monthly for hotel workers. You well know that such an increase would unsustainable resulting in small business closures and job losses. But that is exactly what your malevolent organizing would like to see. Poverty and mayhem in pursuit of political power.
The latter point has exposes you lies and deception.
Public sector wages would have to increase by $45@ too, to maintain parity. And, when you add the other benefits for public servants including a non-contributory occupational pension and job security; public workers salaries and wages would far exceed that of non executive and supervisory workers in the hotel sector.
As a result of the ABWU under-representation the differential in pay between public sector workers and minimum wage workers would have narrowed over the years.
That’s the dismal record of an uncaring union that has failed the hotel workers who they represent. The only thing the union is interested in is the dues to pay over one million dollars in salaries and wages to executive members and others. The $3.7M in annual dues, most of which are from hotel workers is being wasted. That’s surprising because the union officials simply do not care about workers. The ABWU is a dues grabbing union that does little for its members.
Here is a case in point. Instead of pursuing the suggestion of my administration to acquire land and build homes for sale to their members, the union invested nearly two million dollars to build an apartment complex with eight one bed room units in Yorks Village.
The monthly loan payment at 7.5 percent per annum is approximately 18K monthly, depreciation at 2.5 percent is 4K monthly and maintenance 2k monthly, insurance 2K monthly.
Total monthly expenses including loan payment is $26K and the rental will be about 12K monthly. Net monthly losses 14K, or $168,000.
The ABWU loses over $400K annually for the past two years on a cafe.
In 2023, the Cafe located on Newgate Street at the Union Headquarters, recorded a loss of 442K and total revenue was 332K.
I challenge Massiah or any other executive member of the union, to direct me to any business that make a loss exceeding its revenue intake.
The latter is indicative of gross incompetence, among other things which I will not raise in this response.
Let the hotel workers know what you will be doing to improve their lot. They too must share equitably in the astronomical growth our country is experiencing.
When will the Union fight for the advancement of these workers ?
Aren’t you concerned about the repressive tip policy at Sandals in which staff were fired to accept tips, while others had to turn over the tips to the Sandals foundation ?
Aren’t you concerned that Sandals and another hotel group have vested their hotel assets in a separate company from the one that employed the staff ?
Our government will amend the company act to hold the company with the assets that generates the hotel activity responsible for staff severance and other benefits, in the event of liquidation or sale of the hotel pty.
Instead of trying to score cheap political points, why doesn’t ABWU work with our government to get improved benefits and increased protection for these hotel workers ?
Stop the comess and join us in empowering hotel workers, failing which we will continue to encourage them to jettison the ABWU and to form their own representative union; to be governed by hotel workers for the benefit hotel workers.
Massiah/Chester – show the realign and cease your malevolent and selfish behaviors.
Workers first ! not ABWU and it’s executive members first.
Check mate. Tell us about the CAFÉ David.
Hmmmmmmm! According to Sly J. Leaving that right there.
Remember this workers, the ABWU is not your friend. They are in it for themselves and you, the workers, have lined their pockets with your hard work but in return have received little to nothing.
Jus that? Thought he would also refute blue garden issue and the financial report but importantly the PM reccommendation for hotel workers to form their own union and the potential benefits they can derive.
After this clown allowed Carlisle Bay to close and not give the staff a red cent. I don’t trust him one bit
David I think you are an honest person, who is genuinely interested in workers rights. However on your team is Ms. Chesternet, she-him has used the Union for self-enrichment. Shim was competing with Assot at one point on who had the deepest pocket in sponsorship their constituency football team. Where was shim getting all this money???????? Shim is the one that is always pretending to be on the workers side but bad play them with the employers, especially the hoteliers. David if you can get rid of this sore foot from the union, the union will return to its glory days. Chesternet is greedy and back stabbing the hotel workers with the owners/management. He said nothing against the Royaltons bringing in workers and replacing locals , left , right and center. Instead they sit and full up their guts in the bed bugs , mold infested properties.