Workers in Barbados strike again over stalled wage talks and unfulfilled commitments

General

Nurses and police sound alarm over unsafe conditions and economic pressures

Essential workers across Barbados are voicing escalating concerns over worsening labour conditions, low pay, and occupational stress. In May 2025, Queen Elizabeth Hospital Executive Officer Neil Clark said nurse staffing levels were “acceptable”, but the Barbados Nurses' Association strongly disagreed, describing the health sector as being “under threat from chronic understaffing, unsafe work conditions, and the migration of skilled professionals.” The National Union of Public Workers echoed those warnings, urging urgent reforms to create “a working environment where nurses can thrive.”

Police officers have also spoken out, with the Barbados Police Association calling in June 2025 for a renegotiation of salaries, citing increased workloads as officers work six-day weeks amid a rise in violent crime.

Meanwhile, the government’s decision to raise the minimum wage from BBD $8.50 to $10.50 per hour, effective 1st June 2025, has drawn mixed reactions. While the Minimum Wage Board and Labour Minister Colin Jordan upheld the increase, the Barbados Consumer Empowerment Network said it was insufficient to offset inflation.

Peaceful Assembly

Workers strike again over stalled wage talks and unfulfilled commitments

On 13th May 2025, unionised workers at Preconco Ltd., a leading construction and precast concrete manufacturing company in Barbados, walked off the job for the second time this year, citing frustration over stalled wage negotiations and unresolved workplace issues. The Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU) confirmed the industrial action, describing it as the result of a breakdown in talks and unmet commitments from management.

Deputy General Secretary Dwaine Paul said employees felt misled after returning to work following a similar strike in late March 2025, expecting swift progress on wages, health and safety, and pay equity. He noted that the situation had become unsustainable after years of discussions without meaningful improvement. Although health and safety agreements were reached earlier in the year, they remain unimplemented.

Preconco management accused the BWU of “economically unjustifiable demands”.

March to demand actions on rising crime

On 14th June 2025, dozens of residents protested rising crime and demanded “real solutions to the island’s growing crime crisis”. The march, organised by the Loyal Opposition pressure group, began at Kensington Mall and ended at Independence Square, with participants calling for effective and long-term solutions to address violent crime across the island.

Group spokesperson Marcia Weekes said the demonstration was non-partisan and aimed at uniting citizens across political lines. She urged stronger community engagement and early interventions in schools, while rejecting proposed wiretapping measures, calling them “frivolous policies” that fail to address root causes.

Expression

Government reconsiders school hair rules in a debate over identity and freedom of expression

According to media reports, in April 2025, public complaints about students’ hairstyles prompted authorities to revisit the 2023 National Grooming Policy. The policy is “intended to provide a framework to guide the establishment and maintenance of common standards of acceptable dress and deportment for students across the school system”, including hairstyles.

Chief Education Officer Dr Ramona Archer-Bradshaw said the ministry will explore whether objections “are linked to colonial ties” or simply reflect differing views of what “neat and tidy” means. Minister of Educational Transformation Chad Blackman said that “traditional grooming standards had been framed by colonial perspectives. As we move forward as a country that is independent and a republic, a country that is confident in its own skin, we have to now define for ourselves what is the best mode of dress in business, in school”.

The Barbados Union of Teachers declared that it is not calling for the policy’s repeal, only clearer guidelines. “This isn’t about rejecting culture”, it’s about consistency, said union president Rudy Lovell. Parent advocate Paula-Anne Moore disagrees, saying, “Grooming should not become a battleground”.

The debate mirrors similar debates across the Caribbean and the United States of America, where education authorities are attempting to balance uniform standards with students’ right to express their cultural identity without discrimination.

Government launches public reporting system to counter AI-generated disinformation

On 19th June 2025, the Government of Barbados launched a public report initiative to combat online disinformation, following the circulation of an AI-generated video on the Fun Journey channel falsely claiming that Prime Minister Mia Mottley was “leading a Caribbean revolution against US President Trump.”

At a post-Cabinet media briefing, Minister of Home Affairs and Information Wilfred Abrahams urged people to report suspicious online content or known cases of disinformation by emailing reportfakenews@barbados.gov.bb

Minister Abrahams described the spread of false and manipulated information as reaching a “crisis level”, underscoring government concern over the growing use of AI-generated disinformation. According to media reports, the initiative aims to encourage public vigilance and strengthen government monitoring of digital content.

Other developments

Civil society organisation files Supreme Court case alleging genocide and war crimes in Gaza

On 19th June 2025, the Caribbean Movement for Peace and Integration (CMPI) filed an urgent application before the Supreme Court, accusing Israel of committing genocide, war crimes, apartheid, and crimes against humanity in Gaza. The application calls on the Director of Public Prosecutions to bring charges against any person in Barbados, resident or visitor, found complicit in such acts.

The CMPI argues that, as a party to the UN Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the Geneva Conventions, Barbados has a legal duty to prosecute individuals implicated in genocide, regardless of where the crimes occurred.

David Denny, CMPI’s General Secretary, said the issue was of utmost urgency and should be discussed at the CARICOM Heads of Government Meeting scheduled for July 2025 in Jamaica. The group’s legal representative, attorney Lalu Hanuman, described the case as “unprecedented” in the Caribbean, noting that it could become a test case for similar actions across the region. The Supreme Court has yet to set a hearing date.