ST JOHN’S, Antigua – Ahead of the 2012 Labour Day, an annual holiday to celebrate economic and social achievements of workers, a trade unionist believes that more needs to be done by the labour movement to further advance worker’s rights.

General Secretary of the Antigua Trades and Labour Union Alrick Daniel told OBSERVER Media that quite a lot has been achieved since the 1990s but a lot has changed since then.

Daniel said to push this effort forward it would require more involvement from the government.

“We need a serious level of co-operation nationally, where the unions, the employers and the government sit down and we seek to look at it from a national standpoint and consider how certain issues affect Antigua & Barbuda,” Daniel said.

The general secretary also indicated that adequate training in the workplace should also form part of the planning going forward.

He said with additional training, the workforce would play an active role in the industrial relations process.

“We want to have a more involved workforce. Sometimes you have situations where workers were unionised but they do not want to be a part of the process. I think there was more unity in the inception of the union and the early days of the trade union movement,” Daniel added.

Labour Day offers a reflection on the Antigua & Barbuda trade union movement as well as the plight of workers.

During this time parades are held through the streets by the various trade union organisations. These will conclude with beach picnics on two of the country’s popular beaches – Ffryes Bay and Fort James Beach.