News

Port of Spain, 1st November, 2016

UNI FINANCE Establishes RBC Trade Union Alliance of Caribbean Affiliates

Caribbean Trade Unions who are affiliates of UNI FINANCE have established a Trade Union Alliance to address the securing of union rights for all RBC workers in the region. This is intended to ensure that Trade Union rights for RBC workers are protected and respected and also ensure their  right to freedom of association, union recognition and a workplace free from fear.

UNI Finance is part of UNI Global Union, the global federation of trade unions in the services sector, including the financial sector, with over 20 million members in more than 140 countries throughout the world. The employees of Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) are among some of the workers that we represent in the Caribbean and the rest of the world. UNI Global has signed more than 50 Global Framework Agreements with important multinationals in the finance sector including bank institutions such as ITAU, Societe Generale and ABN Amro; and in other sectors, such as with G4S.

UNI Finance, which represents 3 million workers around the world, has launched the RBC Trade Union Alliance at its recently concluded meeting in Trinidad & Tobago. The intention is that unions throughout the Caribbean will speak with one voice in order to address concerns of workers with the practices of Royal Bank of Canada. The meeting, concluded that is important for RBC trade unions to work together on issues that are common to all of the Unions in the Caribbean. Consequently; trade unions have come together from Trinidad and Tobago, St. Lucia, Barbados, Grenada, Antigua, Jamaica and the Bahamas to constitute the RBC Trade Union Alliance, to work together and speak with one voice.

The RBC Trade Union Alliance, with the support of UNI Finance, repudiates any strategy which includes the use of anti-union practices, and not allowing workers to raise their standards of living and working conditions. When workers in the Bahamas, St. Lucia and Barbados exercised their right to take collective action they faced different anti-union tactics, including bonuses given to dissuade workers from joining the union, removal of workers from a bargaining unit, intimidating emails, and refusal to cooperate and meet with the union. In the Bahamas, several workers have identified anti-union behavior, intimidation and victimization from management in many RBC branches; resulting in a total lack of membership in the country.

The Trade Union Alliance calls upon Royal Bank of Canada to commit to a relationship devoid of anti-union practices throughout the Caribbean region. The Trade Union Alliance invites RBC management to engage in an open dialogue with its workers’ chosen representatives, by meeting with the respective unions as a united group. The Trade Union Alliance recognizes that there will always be issues, but that these issues can be solved through social dialogue to avoid situations of conflict; the Alliance commits to work towards the strengthening of the company and good benefits for its employees. The CIBC/FCIB Partnership Agreement in the region is a positive example of cooperation between unions and companies.

RBC workers throughout the Caribbean are united in this Trade Union Alliance which will be meeting and acting together to ensure that the rights of workers are respected and protected. The RBC Trade Union Alliance is fully supported by UNI Finance and its affiliates and calls for responsible adherence to best practices by the Bank and recognition of the Labour codes of the ILO.