BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, October 28, 2025 (MMS-SKN) -- The St. Kitts-Nevis Trades and Labour Union, while underscoring its unwavering commitment to workers in St. Kitts and Nevis, held its Eighty-sixth Annual Conference where Prime Minister the Hon Dr Terrance Drew hailed it for its “continued advocacy, resilience, and leadership in advancing the cause of labour and social protection in our modern era.”
The Annual Conference was held on Sunday October 26 at the St. Kitts Solid Waste Management Corporation Conference Room, Taylors Range in Basseterre, under the theme ‘Social Protection for All Workers: Strengthening Collective Bargaining and Trade Union Rights’.
Extending fraternal greetings to the Union, in a message that was read by the Union’s General Secretary, Ms Precious Mills, during the conference Business Session as he was off island on official duties, Dr Drew highlighted that for over eight decades, the Union has stood as a pillar of justice, dignity, and empowerment for the working people of the Federation.
“Its historic partnership with the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party remains one of the most powerful alliances for the progress in our nation’s history, rooted in a shared mission to uplift workers, protect their rights, and ensure fairness and opportunity for all,” said the Honourable Prime Minister.
He added: “As we celebrate this milestone, I commend the Union’s continued advocacy, resilience, and leadership in advancing the cause of labour and social protection in our modern era. Together, we will continue to build a stronger, fairer, and more sustainable St. Kitts and Nevis. …for the good that we can do!”
The conference was chaired by Executive Floor Member, Ms Jutambien Kelly. Guided by what the delegates learned from Dr Sharon Osborne who had delivered a presentation on health and wellness at the 85th Annual Conference last year, she took the delegates through a health and wellness exercise.
Among those present were His Excellency David Rivero, Resident Ambassador of the Republic of Cuba in St. Kitts and Nevis, and His Excellency Edward Ling-Wen Tao, Resident Ambassador of the Republic of China on Taiwan in St. Kitts and Nevis who was accompanied by Third Secretary at the Embassy Ms Cristina Tsai-ting Hsu. Invocation was by Deacon Joseph Edmeade.
Two opposition political parties in St. Kitts, the Peoples Labour Party (PLP), and the People’s Action Movement (PAM) sent representatives. PLP was represented by its Deputy Leader Mr Dameon Lawrence, and the Chairperson of PLP in Constituency Number Two, Mr Marlon Brown, while PAM was represented by its candidate for Constituency Number Two, Mr Nubian Greaux.
“This year’s conference theme, ‘Social Protection for All Workers: Strengthening Collective Bargaining and Trade Union Rights’ could not be more timely,” said President of the St. Kitts-Nevis Trades and Labour Union, Mr Sydney Bridgewater as he addressed the delegates. “Across the world, workers face growing uncertainty: Rising costs of living, job insecurity, and weakened labour protections. Here at home, we too see troubling signs.”
This year’s Guest Speaker was Ms Sybil Welsh, Senior Projects Specialist at the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank, who was introduced by St. Kitts-Nevis Trades and Labour Union’s Second Vice President, Ms Nadine Natta.
“I want to start off as we talk about ‘Financial Planning for Institutional Growth’,” said Ms Welsh. “I want to start off with a quote, and I sort of changed it a little, from Confucius that says that ‘a man who does not plan long ahead will find trouble at his door’. We can change that to ‘business institutions’ because we know the old adage, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”
She emphasised that financial planning is essential for setting business and financial objectives, developing growth strategies, and ensuring operational efficiency and sustainable growth, and underscored that key components include external/internal assessments, forecasting, resource allocation, budgeting, cash flow, reserves, investment, debt, and risk management.
Other areas that she touched on included investment and reserves, financial goals (both short-term and long-term), mission-aligned budgeting and Pareto Principle that align budgets with mission priorities, growth strategies, market expansion and advice for continuous reviews.
In conclusion, Ms Welsh underscored the fact that “effective financial planning enables non-profits to navigate uncertainty, achieve sustainable growth, and fulfil their mission by making informed decisions, managing resources wisely, and adapting to change.”
Before the guest speaker delivered her remarks, five registered members of the St. Kitts-Nevis Trades and Labour Union gave their testimonials virtually. These were Ms Tracy ‘Verna’ Tucker, Ms Lauretta Joseph, Mr Christanja Carey, Mrs Jacqueline Francis, and Mr Andy Caines.
Organisations recognised for their unwavering support to the St. Kitts-Nevis Trades and Labour Union included Carib Breweries St. Kitts Nevis Limited, Lennox Warner and Associates, Harowe Servo Controls (St. Kitts) Limited, Horsford’s Valu Mart, and the St. Kitts Solid Waste Management Corporation.
Fraternal greetings delivered during the conference’s Public Session came from Mr Ian Daniel, Programme Dean, Department of Labour Studies, Cipriani College of Labour and Cooperative Studies in Trinidad and Tobago, which were read by Executive Floor Member of the St. Kitts-Nevis Trades and Labour Union, Mr Kevion Hodge Huggins.
Chairperson of the Caribbean Domestic Workers Network, who is also the General Secretary of the Jamaican Household Workers Union, Ms Shirley Pryce delivered fraternal greetings virtually via a video presentation.
In her closing remarks before the delegates broke out for lunch, General Secretary of the St. Kitts-Nevis Trades and Labour Union, Ms Precious Mills, reaffirmed that throughout the course of the 2024-2025 term, it had embodied the essence of the importance of ‘Social Protection For All Workers: Strengthening Collective Bargaining and Trade Union Rights’.
“As a National Workers representative body, our longstanding and relevant organisation understands the value of continuing to push for the cause in championing the rights of workers in the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis,” said General Secretary, Ms Mills.
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