The Antigua and Barbuda Workers' Union (ABWU) is renewing its call for a national severance protection fund following the abrupt closure of Cost Pro Supermarket at the Woods Mall on Friars Hill Road. According to Antigua Observer, the shutdown has prompted the union to press the government for legislation that would shield workers from sudden job losses.
ABWU General Secretary David Massiah said the Cost Pro closure lays bare the financial insecurity workers face when an employer shuts down without warning.
"Once again, it rears its head in the insecure motion that some workers would have when you reach these situations. You're working with a company, and out of the blue, the company closes, and then you're left hanging because you can't take care of certain obligations, because of the sudden move, because of non-payment of expectations that you have," Massiah said.
He stated that the union intends to formally petition the government to establish such a fund through legislation. "That is why the union will reiterate and renew its call to the government of the need to set up what we call a severance protection fund, legislation to put it in place," he said.
Massiah also pointed to the COVID-19 pandemic as a stark reminder of how vulnerable workers can be when employment disappears overnight. "We learn from what happened during COVID just how fragile this situation can be and the hardship on the average worker, the average citizen, when we fall into that situation," he said.
The ABWU General Secretary insisted that Antigua and Barbuda cannot afford to leave workers exposed in this manner again, signalling that the union's formal petition to the government is imminent.
