New Year Message 2026: From BWU
Comrades and friends,
As the Barbados Workers’ Union marches toward 85, we do so grounded in the wisdom of our past and strengthened by the confidence earned through struggle. Much around us has changed — the nature of work, the expectations of workers, the demand for new skills. Yet so much remains the same – our demand for: fairness, unity, dignity, respect. That is why, after 85 years, we are still here. Still fighting. Still standing.
This march to 85 is not a countdown. It is a declaration of purpose. We are claiming ground — we are RECLAIMING ground — because every day calls us to the fight, and every fight reminds us that the BWU remains a necessary force in the lives of working people.
As Barbados approaches 60 years of Independence and continues to define itself as a Republic in its 5th year, this is the moment for working people to insist that national milestones must carry national meaning. Progress must be matched with protection. Pride must be matched with power. And every step forward must be anchored in the STRENGTH – the real strength of our people.
In 2025, we were reminded under our BET WHO BET YOU campaign that progress is never gifted. It is organised, it is negotiated, it is demanded.
We saw major movement on worker‑centred policy. Among others we saw expanded family leave, paid paternity leave, stronger maternity protections, increased minimum wage, increase in the tax free allowance for union membership. These are not abstract reforms. They are real improvements in the lives of mothers, fathers, and families.
We were reminded that when labour pushes, the country shifts. And we will keep pushing, because wages must mean more than survival. A minimum wage must reflect a living wage. And decent wages must be matched by decent hours — not exhaustion, not exploitation.
Turning to accountability, let me be clear – accountability is not theatre. It is stewardship. And the BWU will continue to call names where there are issues of accountability.
At the start of 2025, we raised serious concerns about Sandals. Since then, meetings have taken place, yes — but meetings are not outcomes. Smiles are not solutions. Handshakes do not erase hardship. We have watched terminations on the face of minor charges and absence of evidence. We have watched the patterns. And we will not pretend that all is well because all is NOT well.
We must also speak plainly about Standard — and by extension the wider ANSA McAL corporate environment — where workers across the group are watching anxiously and asking, Are we next?
Standard Distribution announced its intention to close operations by December 31, 2025, yet meaningful consultation has still not taken place — a situation that exposes a troubling gap in our Employment Rights Act, where the company has taken the position that because Section 31(6) requires consultation with “the affected employee or their representative,” there was no need to speak with the BWU.
We know — and Barbados knows — that this interpretation is not in keeping with the spirit of the law, which throughout recognises the trade union as the representative for bargaining where one exists.
December 31st has passed, but this issue will not. Not when this conglomerate operates through multiple companies here. And not when the bigger fight — one which every citizen should care about — has to be to ensure that companies that invest in Barbados are not allowed to undermine our workers. Conglomerates must not enter Barbados and behave as though our workers are disposable, our labour laws optional, or our industrial climate is something to be managed from afar. Barbados is not a playground for corporate disregard.
We do not accept it from local companies, and we will not celebrate investment as a developmental win when it undermines our people.
2026 must be a year of tightening laws, strengthening enforcement, and demanding accountability.
Now where companies do right, we will say so. After years of struggle, 2025 brought a breakthrough with KFC. The work continues, but progress — even slow progress — is still progress. That is what mature industrial relations looks like: disagreement where necessary, partnership where possible, and respect always as the baseline.
Comrades, we must also speak about the NISSS. If Barbados drifts into a labour market dominated by insecure contract work, we will create a future where too many workers reach retirement only to find the system cannot catch them. In 2026, we will press harder against casualisation — in the public and private sectors — because workers deserve stable work, stable contributions, and a stable future.
2026 must not only be a year of milestones but a year of meaning.
Meaning for casual workers who deserve formal employment — and where casual work is justified, to ensure contributions are made to protect them now and into retirement.
Meaning for public sector workers waiting too long for job evaluation and fair salary negotiations.
Meaning for construction workers who watch their bosses prosper — including under public contracts — while they remain underpaid, unprotected, and outside the social security net.
Companies benefiting from public contracts must not be allowed to exploit workers, whether local or migrant.
Underpayment must stop.
Substandard housing for migrant workers must stop.
Using contract arrangements unscrupulously to avoid paying benefits must stop.
You know who you are and so do we.
So companies operating under the INFRA model must prepare themselves, because we will push the Labour Department and the wider Government to address these breaches and bring parity within companies, across companies, and across this country.
We therefore welcome the strengthening of the Labour Department to ensure better enforcement and accountability.
Comrades and friends, as we march to 85, let us march with discipline, clarity, and courage. Let us support the employers who respect workers, and challenge those who believe they can out‑wait justice.
Unity is still our strength. Solidarity still has stamina. And the Barbados Workers’ Union will continue shaping the future of work in Barbados — not with noise, but with results.
On behalf of the Executive Council of the Barbados Workers’ Union, Happy New Year. May 2026 bring progress, protection, and renewed solidarity.
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