On the behalf of the National Council, Executive Committee, Secretariat and wider membership of the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW), I extend the warmest wishes for prosperity, happiness and good health to our loyal members in 2025.
NUPW goes further to convey best wishes and new year greetings to the working people of Barbados, and the wider Caribbean, to fellow trade unions and all the men, women and children the world over, who aspire for a better life in peace, friendship, safety, solidarity.
The dawning of a New Year is usually a time for introspection, as we reflect on the successes, future opportunities and the unfilled promises of the past 12 months. It is also the time when we commit to our members with renewed purpose, vigour and determination for the coming year.
The leadership of the NUPW renews its pledge and promise to give the honest representation on matters that promote improvement in health, finances, career, family, spirituality, fairness, equity and justice. Individually we sincerely hope that whatever your resolution, you will be able to have success and meet the goals and targets you set in 2025.
From the NUPW’s perspective if Barbados could achieve full employment, fair and equitable social and economic development for all, that the complete protection of the rights of our workers, whilst ensuring that food, education, health and human rights for every Barbadian is accomplished, this union would be happy.
However, the reality is that there are still families that do not have equal access to an adequate quality of life. This union will endeavour to ensure that those vulnerable groups are uplifted and enfranchised.
The NUPW has enamored itself to support all efforts to combat the real and existential threat of gun violence which now threatens not only our physical safety, but our feelings of safety. The loss of a young life, whether a family member or not, affects us all deeply, with untold socio-economic implications. As we welcome 2025, the NUPW is appealing to young men and women across Barbados to put down the guns and seek to empower themselves through education, creativity, entrepreneurship, as we collectively seek to make this fair land of ours a better place.
In 2025, the NUPW also pledges to continue to work with the Social Partnership to substantially reduce the high cost of living for workers in Barbados, so that Barbadian workers, can realise the true fruits of their labour.
In 2025, the NUPW is expectant of the completion of the public sector job evaluation exercise. The exercise is designed to develop and implement a modernised, harmonised and equitable job-grading structure for public officers. The Public Sector needs to ensure that it keeps pace with the changes in the value of the required skills for it to be effective and efficient. This union supports this stated objective of the exercise. The NUPW is encouraging all employees requested to take part in the job evaluation exercise, to make meaningful contributions which could highlight the compensable factors.
The NUPW also wishes to urge government to use this job evaluation exercise to address the shortage of staff and the attractiveness of compensation packages in the health and protective services. The inability to attract and recruit the brightest and best available talent in the island, impacts negatively on quality public services.
Given the lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic, health and wellness above all else must be cherished as workers strive for increased work life balance and productivity. In 2025, this union will revisit the Flexible Work Policy with the intention of Government reactivating all of the provisions of the policy.
This unions sees itself responsible for raising the collective national conscience to matters that can structurally improve the lives of our people. To transform the national psyche and perspective towards greater collectivism. For example, by moving the discussion on pensions to the discussion on planning for retirement; moving the discussion on spending to investment. To support the initiatives for training and education on financial literacy.
Two thousand and twenty-five must be a year of purpose and growth for all public workers in Barbados. The NUPW promises to be the union that leads for the realisation of purpose and growth.
May Barbados receives God’s richest blessing throughout 2025.
Happy New Year Barbados.
