ABWU conference will focus on changing world and changed workplace, as traditional jobs disappear and new ones emerge

“Uniting workers with a renewed vision” is the theme under which the Antigua and Barbuda Workers’ Union (ABWU) will host its 55th Annual Delegates Conference, this weekend.

Over 100 delegates are expected to gather on September 25 and 26 for the conference, which was postponed due to Tropical Storm Fiona.

“The conference is particularly significant because of the ‘seismic-shifts’ that have taken place in the world of work due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russian-Ukraine war, and international commitments to transition to green energy,” says David Massiah, the Union’s General Secretary.

Therefore, he says, unions must resolve to prepare their membership – the workers – for the changes and shifts that will come, due to a changing world and work landscape.

Massiah says that conference discussions will largely be centered on the disappearance of some traditional jobs and the emergence of new careers.

The opening ceremony on Sunday will feature guest speaker Dr. Carl Roberts, former High Commissioner to the United Kingdom.

Following the ceremony, the conference will hear reports from various workplaces and review several matters of business, the Union says.

Another highlight will be the election of officers to serve on the Union’s executive body for the next two years.