Bridgetown.
President of the Congress of Trade Unions and Straff Associations (CTUSAB) Cedrc Murrell and Barbados Ambassador to CARICOM Robert "Bobby" Morris have made an impassioned plea for the Barbados Workers Union (BWU) a founding of the umbrela body to return to the fold.
Speaking at CTUSAB's midterm conference, Murrell said it was eerie not to see Sir Roy Trotman the general secretary of the BWU among the delegates.
Earlier this year the BWU pulled out of CTUSAB after a disagreement over the selection of local delegates for the 2013 International Labour Organisation conference.
Murrell said that CTUSAB was open to discussion with the BWU to heal wounds perceived or otherwise that may exist.
Morris, a former deputy general secretary of the BWU called on members not to allow egos to get in the way on unity and urged them to mend the breach.
"Brothers and sisters, I urge you not to allow short term differences, ideology, or personality, egotism or egoism to block the path of progress. We do ourselves a great injustice if we cannot find our way back to where we were through the process of colaboration and compromise", Morris said .
The theme of CTUSAB's mid-term conference was Maintaining Unity and Solidarity.
In keeping with that idea, there were several calls for an end to the disunity within umbrella trade union body, so Barbados can have a united and strong labour movement.
They came against the background of the Barbados Workers Union having withdrawn from participation in Congress.
CTUSAB president Cedric Murrell was the first to broach the subject, asking BWU to return to the fold.
Mr. Murrell said CTUSAB is willing to meet with the BWU at any time and in any forum to try and bury their differences.
According to him, that would be in the best interest of Barbados at this time as the island battles a serious economic crisis.
Former deputy general secretary of the BWU and now Barbados' ambassador to Caricom Robert "Bobby' Morris was even more strident in his call.
He said the old adage 'United We Stand Divided We Fall' is real, noting that it's incumbent on the various parties to reach out to each other.
Mr. Morris also hinted that he would support retired principal of the UWI Cave Hill Campus, Sir Keith Hunte being appointed as a mediator, with a view to reuniting the labour moveme
