Empowering Women in Barbados Labour Movement: Achievements and Impact

The labour movement in Barbados has been in the vanguard of promoting respect for women and supporting their involvement in the work of trade unions. It would also seem that civil society organisations, political parties and corporate entities have all accepted and demonstrated their embrace of women as equals to men in the society. It is unfortunate that in some parts of the world, women continue to be marginalised, to the point that they are not given the opportunity to be represented at the leadership level or hierarchy of labour unions.

Trade unions are expected to organise female workers, lobby for labour and social protective legislation, promote vocational education and promote the empowerment of women. In preaching and practising equality, trade unions remain at the forefront of creating workplaces where everyone can fully participate. Trade unions must be given credit for promoting anti-discrimination legislation, which resides at the core of the policy that ensures the equality of treatment of male and female workers. Evidently, through the pursuit of anti-discrimination legislation, trade unions have significantly played a part in reducing gender-based wage gaps. Barbados can take pride in having secured and applied the principle of equal pay for men and women, equal treatment for men and women as it relates to free access to employment, promotion in the job, job training and equal treatment of men and women in occupational social security schemes.

In 2022, the percentage of women in the Barbadian workforce stood at 61.5 per cent. Given this information, the assumption can be made that within the walls of trade unions, women are dominant when it comes to membership, assuming roles and decision-making. Most executive boards, executive committees and councils of Barbadian trade unions and staff associations are currently dominated by women. Within the public service and corporate world, women now occupy many management and supervisory positions. Indicators are that women are included in all aspects of public life and in politics. It would appear that there are no obstacles to women’s empowerment and development, barring the exercise of choice to defer to family commitments, and other domestic and personal reasons.

Support for the inclusion of women is made in the observation that, “When looking at the steering committee or/and daily management board, the picture becomes more balanced; about 1 in 2 of the steering committees/daily management board is representative of the female membership rate.” (Garcia 2002). The observation was also made that at the level of standing committees and/or working groups, overall, women are not under-represented. There are, however, wide variations between countries. Can it therefore be said that women are under-represented in leadership positions within Barbadian trade unions, and at the management level in the business and corporate world?

In any progressive society that shows an appreciation for gender equality and promotes the same, there should be no need for women to contend that they ought to be given preferential treatment. Should any trade union organisation make it mandatory that a female must be included in a delegation to attend any meeting or conference? Doesn’t this remove the right of an organisation to select whom it determines is best suited to represent its interest? In the same breath, is it fair for a trade union body to have a women’s caucus, while at the same time it does not see it fit to have a men’s caucus? Is this not an act of discrimination or, more so, doesn’t it create a sense of disparity between men and women in trade unions?

We live in a democratic society, and each individual is entitled to equal rights and the same entitlement. However, irrespective of gender, there must be respect for democratic principles, ideals, practices, freedom of expression, and above all, respect for the rules, law, order and the exercise of discipline.