Grenada Seeks End to Industrial Impasse
By the Caribbean Journal staff
While it appeared that the industrial strike at Grenada Breweries Limited had ended at the end of December, the impasse continues, and Grenada’s government is seeking to bring it to an end.
If the impasse is allowed to continue, it could have a devastating effect on the Grenadian economy, which is starting to show signs of growth, Prime Minister Tillman Thomas said.
“We understand the impact that industrial action can have, and is having on our country, just as we are beginning to see signs of economic recovery,” he said. “We must do all in our power to ensure that this impact is minimized by getting the workers back on the job and the manufacturing capacity in Grenada is restored.”
Indeed, a recent report by the United Nations’ Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean projected a growth rate of 2.5 percent in 2012, following an estimated growth rate of 2.1 percent in 2011.
Thomas appealed to both sides to “let good sense prevail.”
Thomas is holding a meeting Saturday with some of the leading business, religious and NGO organizations in the country, including representatives of the Grenada Employers Federation, the Grenada Chamber of Industry and Commerce, the Grenada Evangelical Association and the Grenada Conference of Churches.
The dispute involves Grenada Breweries Limited and the Technical and Allied Workers Union. It came to a boil in December when TAWU leader and Senator Chester Humphrey was arrested by police.
