Grenada, an island in the southeastern Caribbean Sea, can be heaven for tourists but Grenada Breweries Company turned it into a hell for workers as 125 of them were locked out just before Christmas on December 19, 2011.
Workers of Grenada Breweries Ltd (a company owned by ANSA McAL) and their IUF-affiliated Grenada Technical & Allied Workers' Union have been fighting for the rights of these workers since December 13.
Read on or you can click here to send a protest to the company [1].
The company started dismantling industrial relations [2] when the union submitted its proposals for a new industrial agreement in August 2010. The company was only prepared to start negotiations in July 2011.
When the negotiations reached a deadlock the union started a strike on December 13 that ended on December 19, 2011 following an agreement between the parties. The Company's Chairman, Andrew Sagba gave the commitment that he would travel back to Grenada on December 23, 2011 to continue negotiations thereby ensuring progress will be made.
Immediately after the strike ended, workers reported for work and the company then locked out the workers and used replacement labour to take the jobs of the permanent workers.
Workers have been off the job without pay since December 13 and throughout the festive period. The struggle has also seen an assault by riot police on December 21, 2011 when hundreds of workers blockaded the plant to prevent the distribution of product. The blockade was smashed by riot police but was later reestablished. The struggle also saw the arrest and the detention by police of Senator Chester Humphrey, President of the Grenada Technical & Allied Workers' Union, 1st Vice President of the Grenada Trade Unions' Council and General Secretary of the Caribbean Congress of Labour.
Mr. Andrew Sagba, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Grenada Breweries Ltd. (GBL) has refused to lift the lock-out of the workers and has threatened to close the brewery and to import brewed products from their breweries in St. Kitts and Trinidad and Tobago. Meanwhile, the Company is demanding the reduction of profit sharing in the first instance and a removal of it altogether. Grenada trade unions are considering a national strike in support of this struggle.
IUF affiliated Grenada Technical & Allied Workers Union is formally calling for protest statements demanding the company stops violating fundamental trade union rights in Grenada. Use the form below to send that message to Grenada Breweries.
Click here to send a message
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