Trade unions must modernise and aggressively advocate for workers’ rights in the face of rapid artificial intelligence (AI) adoption, Trade Union Federation (TUF) President Julian Monrose declared during the May Day Rally at the Vigie Sports Complex on Thursday.
Delivering his address under this year’s theme, Revolutionising Health & Safety: The Role of AI and Digitisation at Work, Monrose acknowledged fears that AI could displace jobs but insisted unions cannot resist progress.
“We must recognise that the world is moving in a direction that we cannot hold,” he said. “Our responsibility is to recognise the issues and advocate for the rights of workers to be respected regardless of the situation.”
He called for unions to embrace digital transformation while pushing for stronger safeguards, including updated legislation and collective bargaining agreements that address AI’s impact.
Part of the gathering at the May Day Rally.
Reflecting on Labour Day’s significance, Monrose saluted workers’ contributions and the ongoing fight for better conditions. He acknowledged progress, such as the government’s establishment of a dedicated labour tribunal.
“We trust that this will help with the timely dispensation of justice, with issues arising from the workplace,” he said.
The struggle for decent work and social justice continues, Monrose insisted, adding that every Labour Day, unions must assess how far they’ve come and what remains to be done.
Closing with a call for solidarity, he urged workers to unite as “they are all in the same struggle”.
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6 COMMENTS
I am convinced that union leaders are themselves the most insensitive to the plight of regular union members. They perpetuate the same undemocratic workplaces found in private enterprises & governmental departments where a minority at the top dictate the terms & conditions of employment for the majority of workers.
The result is the periodic bloviating on offer from union leaders about current affairs (in this instance, the perceived impact of AI in the workplace); to detract from their mis-leadership in regards to their presumed adversarial relationship with leaders of private enterprises and government.
What is stopping union leaders from instituting programs to train their membership in the use and application of the “new tool”, AI, to ameliorate their working conditions and significantly increase their productivity? They could then be better placed to insist that their membership deserved a larger portion of the profits of the enterprises or reduced working hours.
If their demands to private enterprises are then not met, unions should demand that government make it easy (legislation instituting concessions & subventions) for union members to form cooperative (democratic) enterprises to directly compete with predatory private enterprises.
Is this gentleman the TUF President and also employed full-time with the Civil Service Association on its monthly payroll? Is this not a conflict? So if there are issues within the CSA, how can he be impartial from the TUF standpoint? Is there a lack of manpower in St Lucia where the Trade Union is concerned? Why can’t we groom younger people and pass the torch to them? Same Sh– different day.
Inquiry minds want to know please
The government need to increase the minimum wage to 8:52 an hour
The minimum wage is to low what can 6:52 cent am hour do for the working poor
Nudge, you hit the nail on the head. Nothing more to say, except that the Union does not need to have any “adversarial ” relationship with the government or private sector employers. The Union should not be at war with employers except when they break the law and do not recognize the rights of workers.
What we have from Union representatives now is guys most of whom are already retired from government positions) trying to solidify themselves in posts in the Secretariats, as if they didn’t know that they had to save their money to retire comfortably when they got to that age.
It is more about them and their bread and butter than the members they purportedly are supposed to be representing.
I said what I said!
@Mwen Même: You do not understand “capitalism” if you hold the view that unions “should not be at war with employers” except for the instances when employers break the law & do not recognize the rights of workers. Your naivety is so glaring, it hurts!
Tell me! Have workers ever been directly consulted concerning laws that were supposedly passed for their benefit? Consulted about what their rights as workers entailed? Honest answers from you will reveal that employers have always held sway over any labour laws instituted or any enumerated rights for workers; so that they can maximize their profits by minimizing the wages and rights of workers.
That has always been the case – during feudalism; slavery; & now capitalism.
If you have neglected your history lessons, I implore you to bring yourself up-to-date regarding worker issues by picking up a copy of Dr. Eric Williams’ timeless book, Capitalism and Slavery. You might then have a chance of deprogramming yourself of all the brainwashing propaganda you have been subjected to up to the present time from corporate media; yes, another group which gets paid to forsake it adversarial role against governments & predatory capitalists!
And if you want to fully understand the capitalist system, you should pick up Dr. Richard D. Wolff’s book titled, Understanding Capitalism!
I am convinced that union leaders are themselves the most insensitive to the plight of regular union members. They perpetuate the same undemocratic workplaces found in private enterprises & governmental departments where a minority at the top dictate the terms & conditions of employment for the majority of workers.
The result is the periodic bloviating on offer from union leaders about current affairs (in this instance, the perceived impact of AI in the workplace); to detract from their mis-leadership in regards to their presumed adversarial relationship with leaders of private enterprises and government.
What is stopping union leaders from instituting programs to train their membership in the use and application of the “new tool”, AI, to ameliorate their working conditions and significantly increase their productivity? They could then be better placed to insist that their membership deserved a larger portion of the profits of the enterprises or reduced working hours.
If their demands to private enterprises are then not met, unions should demand that government make it easy (legislation instituting concessions & subventions) for union members to form cooperative (democratic) enterprises to directly compete with predatory private enterprises.
Is this gentleman the TUF President and also employed full-time with the Civil Service Association on its monthly payroll? Is this not a conflict? So if there are issues within the CSA, how can he be impartial from the TUF standpoint? Is there a lack of manpower in St Lucia where the Trade Union is concerned? Why can’t we groom younger people and pass the torch to them? Same Sh– different day.
Inquiry minds want to know please
The government need to increase the minimum wage to 8:52 an hour
The minimum wage is to low what can 6:52 cent am hour do for the working poor
Nudge, you hit the nail on the head. Nothing more to say, except that the Union does not need to have any “adversarial ” relationship with the government or private sector employers. The Union should not be at war with employers except when they break the law and do not recognize the rights of workers.
What we have from Union representatives now is guys most of whom are already retired from government positions) trying to solidify themselves in posts in the Secretariats, as if they didn’t know that they had to save their money to retire comfortably when they got to that age.
It is more about them and their bread and butter than the members they purportedly are supposed to be representing.
I said what I said!
@Mwen Même: You do not understand “capitalism” if you hold the view that unions “should not be at war with employers” except for the instances when employers break the law & do not recognize the rights of workers. Your naivety is so glaring, it hurts!
Tell me! Have workers ever been directly consulted concerning laws that were supposedly passed for their benefit? Consulted about what their rights as workers entailed? Honest answers from you will reveal that employers have always held sway over any labour laws instituted or any enumerated rights for workers; so that they can maximize their profits by minimizing the wages and rights of workers.
That has always been the case – during feudalism; slavery; & now capitalism.
If you have neglected your history lessons, I implore you to bring yourself up-to-date regarding worker issues by picking up a copy of Dr. Eric Williams’ timeless book, Capitalism and Slavery. You might then have a chance of deprogramming yourself of all the brainwashing propaganda you have been subjected to up to the present time from corporate media; yes, another group which gets paid to forsake it adversarial role against governments & predatory capitalists!
And if you want to fully understand the capitalist system, you should pick up Dr. Richard D. Wolff’s book titled, Understanding Capitalism!