Bridgetown.
Owen Arthur says he understand the disappointment of Sir Roy Trotman at the Barbados Workers Union (BWU) being replaced by the Congress of Trade Unions and Staff Associations of Barbados (CTUSAB) as the worker delegate to the International Labour Organization (ILO) annual conference in Geneva.
According to the former Prime Minister, the country have to be careful how it discard things that have worked in the past.
"I understand Sir Roy's angst. I remember when I was invited to give a feature address at the ILO, it wasn’t because of being Prime Minister of Barbados, but because Barbados had come to stand for something in the eyes of the ILO,” Arthur told journalists.
He added that Barbados owed much of its stability and international respect to the “handiwork” of the BWU.
“That is the truth, and I’m not picking a side. That is the reality and perhaps why Sir Roy is saying it’s not about him going on a trip but it’s a tradition he has helped to develop,” says Arthur.
He noted that the labour movement had largely been crafted by the leadership of the BWU, Arthur said the country had had several Prime Ministers and Governors General but only two main labour union leaders: National Hero Sir Frank Walcott and Sir Roy Trotman.
Two weeks ago Sir Roy announced that the BWU was leaving CTUSAB because it no longer has the key delegate role at the ILO annual conference in Geneva.
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