President of the Antigua Trades and Labour Union (AT&LU) Bernard de Nully has called for greater dialogue and consultations to tackle the challenges facing workers across the Caribbean.

De Nully made the appeal following a specially convened meeting of the Caribbean Conference of Labour, which brought together trade unionists and employer representatives to discuss workers’ rights and other pressing issues. The meeting was facilitated by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the CARICOM Secretariat.

“We came to the understanding that social dialogue is quintessentially important if we are to meet the objectives that we set for ourselves,” de Nully said.

He explained that the meeting addressed the issue of migration and emphasized that all workers—whether nationals or migrants—must have the right to free association and trade union representation.

“These are rights that are enshrined in our Constitution,” he added.