by Curlan Campbell
- GTAWU formally applied on 2 May to represent GAA management workers
- Labour Commissioner’s letter stated union’s application for certification refused
- Union exploring legal and industrial options in response to ministry’s decision
The Grenada Technical and Allied Workers’ Union (GTAWU) is raising alarm over what it calls a “deeply troubling and unconstitutional” decision by the Ministry of Labour to block the union’s certification to represent management staff at the Grenada Airports Authority (GAA), without allowing employees the right to vote.
In a press conference held at TAWU headquarters on Monday, 19 May, GTAWU President General Andre Lewis disclosed that the union had formally applied on 2 May to represent the management workers at the GAA, following clear support from the employees. In accordance with the Labour Relations Act, a poll — where workers vote by secret ballot — is required to confirm majority support for union representation and should be held within 14 days of the application.
According to Lewis, the Ministry of Labour initially set 15 May as the polling date. However, on that day, the Labour Commissioner issued a letter — reportedly on the Minister for Labour’s directive — stating that the union’s application for certification was refused, effectively cancelling the poll. “That very said letter… people are speculating as to the reason… we have seen some signs in the past that have caused us to look two and three times as to the intention of the powers that be at the moment,” Lewis said.
GTAWU strongly condemned the move, citing it as a violation of constitutional and labour rights, specifically referencing Section 11 of the Grenada Constitution, which guarantees freedom of association, including the right to join a trade union of one’s choice. “This is an attempt to deny workers their right to choose their bargaining agent,” said GTAWU’s President General.
Lewis stated that the Labour Commissioner had indicated that she was still waiting on additional information from the employer before making a determination. Yet the process was short-circuited, and the poll was cancelled without explanation to the union.
The union argued that under both local labour law and international obligations to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), workers have a right to vote on union representation and that administrative concerns about the bargaining unit’s composition do not justify the denial of this right.
GTAWU emphasised that concerns over the appropriateness of the bargaining unit, such as job classifications, can and should be addressed without infringing on the right to vote.
“There’s a right guaranteed under the Grenada Constitution to belong to a trade union of your choice… and that right… to be the exclusive bargaining agent, there’s a process of conducting a poll where people vote in a secret ballot, and that’s okay.” Lewis argued that even if there were questions about who should be included in the unit, that should be resolved through clarification or exclusion, not by denying a vote altogether.
GTAWU also expressed concern that this incident fits into what it sees as a wider pattern of actions that undermine the trade union movement in Grenada. The union cited proposed amendments to the Labour Code and previous disputes involving other unions, including withholding of union dues from the Public Workers’ Union (PWU), as signs of increasing governmental interference in organised labour.
GTAWU said it is exploring all legal and industrial options in response to the ministry’s decision and has vowed to continue advocating for the rights of workers to organise and be represented by the union of their choice.
The Ministry of Labour has not yet issued a public statement in response to the union’s claims.
