News

Cable & Wireless is seeking to cut costs by reducing staff numbers throughout the Caribbean region. The Company plans to retrench several hundred workers, which is likely to have a devastating effect given the low population and small economies of many Caribbean countries.



The company made these plans known a few weeks ago when it issued a series of around 100 redundancy notices to workers in Barbados, failing to comply with the proper process under the labour relations regime, and breaching its collective agreement with staff. Following an international union response, including a letter from UNI to the comany's CEO in the UK, Cable & Wireless withdrew the dismissals temporarily and is now complying with proper process.



However, the union says that the company is abusing the “financial crisis” as an opportunity to take these cost-cutting measures, since Cable & Wireless continues to make tremendous profits and to pay company executives exorbitant and record bonuses.



Caribbean Telecom Unions met last week and decided to adopt a regional approach and response to dealing with the company involving the following UNI unions - BWU Barbados, GTAWU Grenada, CTAWU St Vincent, CWU Trinidad and Tobago, UAWU Jamaica and ABWU Antigua, coordinated by the U NI - Americas Caribbean Support Center and under the stewardship of Sir Roy Trotman- General Secretary BWU.