CARICOM Declaration of Labour and Industrial Relations Principles (Part I)
BACK IN April of 1995, the CARICOM (Caribbean Community) Secretariat presented to the social partners of the Community the Declaration of Labour and Industrial Relations Principles which was unanimously approved by the Standing Committee of Ministers responsible for Labour (SCML).

In the foreword of the document, it is stated: “The Declaration sets out the general Labour Policy to which the Region aspires, consistent with international standards and other international instruments.  It is an important policy guide on labour matters for the Social Partners and will contribute to the development of a healthy industrial relations climate, and enhanced social partnership.  It underscores the rights and responsibilities of the Social Partners, and provides the bases for the development of national labour policies, and informs the enactment of labour legislation.”

This Declaration was arrived at following years of work involving personnel of the Regional Tripartite Working Party of Labour Officials from Member States, the Caribbean Congress of Labour (CCL), the Caribbean Employers’ Confederation (CEC), the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Secretariat, and the International Labour Organisation (ILO).  In our quest to develop our Community, it is important that we sing from the same hymn book, so to speak.  These organizations made an invaluable contribution in the development of this Declaration to guide our labour relations practices in the Region.

This development within CARICOM first began to take shape when the Twelfth Meeting of the SCML on 28-30 April 1993 in Saint Lucia, looked at a proposal from the Special Meeting of the Working Party of Labour Officials on 26-27 April 1993 for the development of a Declaration of Labour and Industrial Relations Principles.

The SCML then commissioned the drafting of a CARICOM Declaration of Labour and Industrial Relations Principles outlining the general Labour and Industrial Relations Policy to which the Region aspires, taking into account international labour standards.

The Working Party held its First Meeting in December 1993 at the Secretariat in Guyana, and based on the discussions, feed-back and research, a working draft of the Declaration was prepared by the Secretariat.   The Working Party examined and studied the draft and discussed same at their Second Meeting in Trinidad and Tobago in November 1994.  This led to some recommendations for changes.

The first draft of the document was later sent to CARICOM Member States, the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Secretariat, CCL, CEC, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and participants of the Second Working Party Meeting, and some individual labour experts for further study and comment.  Following a series of tripartite consultations on the draft, it was revised and received general support from the Social Partners.

On 24 April 1995, the Third Meeting of the Regional Tripartite Working Party of Labour Officials reviewed the revised draft Declaration and upon its recommendation, the Thirteenth SCML Meeting on 26-28 April 1995 in Nassau, The Bahamas, approved the Declaration.

Let’s look now at the Declaration proper:

The Declaration

The States, Parties to the Treaty Establishing the Caribbean Community (hereinafter called “the Member States”)

Recalling the Treaty establishing the Caribbean Community, the CARICOM Charter of Civil Society, the Declaration of Philadelphia, the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights and International Labour Conventions and recommendations which collectively established generally accepted principles of labour and industrial relations;

Reaffirming their common determination to fulfil the hopes and aspirations of their peoples for freely chosen productive employment , and improved standards of work and living through, inter alia, optimum utilisation of available human resources; accelerated, coordinated and sustained economic development; and the efficient operation of common services and functional cooperation in the social, cultural, educational and technological fields;

Convinced that regional integration in the Caribbean should include among its goals promotion of full employment; cross-border mobility of labour; improved living and working conditions through enhanced production and productivity; adequate social security policies and programmes deepening dialogue between employers and trade unions; collective bargaining; tripartite consultations among their Governments, workers’ and employers’ organisations; development of human resources; and expanding opportunities for employment;

Believing that all human beings, irrespective of race, creed, sex, national extraction, colour, marital status, or social origin, and political persuasion have the right to pursue both their material well-being and their spiritual development in conditions of freedom and dignity, of economic security and equality of opportunity;

Aware that the struggle against poverty needs to be carried on with unrelenting vigour within Member States and by continuous and collective international efforts in which the representatives of workers and employers, enjoying a recognised status with those of Government, join with them in free discussion and democratic decisions with a view to the promotion of the common welfare;

Affirming that the applicable norms of industrial relations require the establishment and maintenance of an environment in which the Social Partners may freely carry out their activities and that the establishment and implementation of effective labour and industrial relations policies are fundamental to economic development and social stability;

Acknowledging that labour departments and other public authorities which are responsible for administering public labour policies in Member States should be adequately staffed with well-trained personnel, and that the foregoing are indispensable pre-conditions for the effective implementation and enforcement of measures to promote good industrial relations practices;

Reaffirming further the need for Member States to ensure that effective recognition is given, in practice, to the exercise by workers and employers of the right of freedom of association and to collective bargaining, to the promotion of cooperation between management and labour in a continuous joint endeavour to improve the productive efficiency of all enterprises and to collaboration by workers’ and employers’ organisations with governments at the national level, in the development and implementation of social and economic policies, programmes and measures;

Recognising that enhancing the competitiveness of production for domestic, regional and international markets is essential for social and economic development of the Region and requires the closest collaboration of workers and employers and their respective organizations, who must pool their efforts and strive for continuing increases in productivity and output in all enterprises. To be continued…

*The writer is the former General Secretary of the Clerical & Commercial Workers’ Union (CCWU) and also a former President of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG) and a former Vice President of the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC). He served the Caribbean Congress of Labour (CCL) as Research Officer 1983 – 1998.