Trade unions coming

“The formation of trade unions is the logical next step
from the new Employment Bill”

Monday, April 19, 2004

Minister of Employment, the Hon Roy Bodden, would like to see active trade unions in the Cayman Islands within five years.

In the wake of the new Employment Bill, Mr Bodden said he hopes that employees would be prompted to form trade unions, which will lead to a better working environment for employers and employees.

Mr Bodden made the comments during an exclusive interview with Cayman Net News last week in which he spoke on a number of topics.

“Trade unions encourage social dialogue between employee and employer and employee and government, and are a fundamental part of a tripartite system,” said Mr Bodden.

The revised Employment Bill is regarded as the most modern in the Caribbean, but as yet, there is no established workers union in the Cayman Islands.

Trade Unions are prevalent throughout the rest of the region and the Minister feels that the Cayman Islands needs to follow suit.

The minister explained that modern unions give employees unity in strength and numbers by ensuring their rights are recognised in issues such as health and safety, childcare issues and pension laws. “The conception of unions focusing on striking and causing disruptions is incorrect,” he said, “people think unions want strikes, but unions don’t make any money when employees strike. They make money when employees are earning wages so that they can pay their union dues.”

Mr Bodden noted that trade unions would allow employees a standpoint from which to negotiate, similar to the way the Chamber of Commerce represents the voice of the employers. “Trade Unions free up the Government from being judge and jury and allow both parties room to discuss their points of view.”

Using The Ritz Carlton, Grand Cayman as an example, Mr Bodden said that had there been trade unions in operation, there would have been less upheaval to employees. “Workers would not have been bamboozled and rejected from the work site,” he said.

While Mr Bodden does not intend to focus specifically on this issue in advance of the November elections, he does believe that unions will soon become prevalent in the Cayman Islands.

“The formation of trade unions is the logical next step on from the new Employment Bill, but as with everything, it has to be given time,” said Mr Bodden.

Mr Bodden said that the formation of trade unions were a universal human right. “If I had my time over, I would be a union leader because I have always felt that the king maker is more powerful then the king.”

Showing Cayman’s new Employment Bill to the Caribbean

The new Employment Bill is so highly acclaimed within the Caribbean region that the minister has been asked to give a presentation on it to Caribbean labour ministers and representatives at the 5th Annual Conference of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in the Bahamas this week.

Mr Bodden was invited to speak by Jerry Goolsarran, a Senior Specialist on Industrial Relations and Labour Administration.

Speaking about his presentation, Mr Bodden said, “I will attend the conference with the Permanent Secretary and the Director of Employment Relations and will speak about our efforts to reform Cayman’s labour laws. Our new legislation is seen as the most modern and up-to-date in the Caribbean and it may serve as a model and a template for regional reform.”

The new Employment Bill replaces the 1987 Labour Law and applies to the private sector, public servants, churches and charitable organisations.
Some of the significant features of the new Bill include reducing the standard working week from 45 hours to 44 hours, a written contract for all employees, varied maternity benefits, and paternity leave.

The future of tertiary education in the Cayman Islands

Outlining his plans for the future of education in the Cayman Islands, the Minister explained the significant impact of the Community College offering four-year university status degrees. He said that the move would not only effect education, but also the Cayman Islands as a whole.

“By 2020, I want one university graduate in every household in the Cayman Islands barring none,” said Mr Bodden adding, “It is logical for the Community College to advance itself and take on the mantra of a university. This is not about prestige; it is in the best interests of our country at this time.”

Mr Bodden said the a local university will help produce manpower for the community’s needs, and pointed out that Cayman’s businesses would then be able to do more of their recruiting locally, saving companies costly relocation expenses.

From September of this year, the Community College will offer four-year degree programmes that the University of Tampa will confer. In the initial stages, the College will be offering degrees in Accounting, Business Administration, Economics, Finance and Marketing, but the college plans to expand the subject area in the future.

The changeover is similar to what happened with the University of the West Indies (UWI) who affiliated their courses to universities and colleges in other parts of the world including the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

Despite some negative feedback from some members of the public, Mr Bodden firmly believes in the initiative. “We don’t need a significant influx of cash to make this change. To the uninformed, there will always be reasons not to do something, but I’m willing to risk my personal and political reputation on this. I am confident that over time this will be borne out as the right decision.”

Government sponsored tertiary education began in the Cayman Islands in 1975 when the Community College was established as a part-time institution. From 1976 to 1981, three other institutions, the Trade School, the Hotel school and the Marine School were founded. These schools were located at different sites and were supervised by either the Ministry of Education or the Ministry of Tourism and Labour.

In 1985, the Government decided to centralise the administration of all post-secondary educational institutions on the Islands. The Hotel Training School, the Marine & Trade Training Schools and the Secretarial/ Business Studies section of the Sixth Form of the Cayman Islands High School were amalgamated to form the Community College of the Cayman Islands.

In 1987, by an Act of the Legislative Assembly, the College was established as a semi-autonomous post-secondary educational institution.

Mr Bodden believes that the move will impact favourably on Cayman as a whole. “Giving university status to the Community College is going to create a new economy in itself as more and more Caymanian students will choose to stay in Cayman for their studies. It is going to save the government millions of dollars over time,” said Mr Bodden adding, “We will also be able to offer places to overseas exchange students who will also contribute significantly to the economy.”

Since the average person now changes jobs eight times in their career, Mr Bodden feels that it is imperative to plan for the future so that Caymanians can take full advantage of educational opportunities to achieve their full potential.

“The only way to control the future is to invent it,” he said adding, “When you are given the mantel to lead, you are entrusted not to sit down and twiddle you thumbs. You have to make decisions to move the country in the right direction.”

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