Fresh off his administration’s return to power following the April 30 general election, Prime Minister Gaston Browne of Antigua and Barbuda has delivered a forceful mandate to public sector leadership: clear all lingering back pay owed to public workers immediately, with no further delays or excuses.
Speaking at the annual Labour Day rally jointly hosted by the Antigua Trades and Labour Union (AT&LU) and the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party, Browne centered his address on upholding labor rights and fulfilling commitments to the nation’s workforce. Among his top priorities is resolving longstanding unpaid wage disputes, including those accumulated during the period of the COVID-19 vaccine mandate, when dozens of workers faced suspended pay over compliance requirements.
The prime minister made clear that the administrative ball is now firmly in the court of senior public sector officials, who he has tasked with taking direct ownership of processing all outstanding claims. “When we said to you that they must process their back pay, we expect you to do so and to make sure that every single worker is paid,” Browne stated in his address. He went on to emphasize that funding for the payments is already secured and held in the national treasury, removing any financial justifications for continued hold-ups. “Do the research… provide the documentation, the money is in the treasury. Every single worker must be paid,” he added.
Browne’s hardline stance comes in response to persistent complaints from public sector workers across multiple departments, who have reported months-long delays in receiving owed back pay. Beyond the immediate financial issue, the prime minister warned that failing to address workers’ legitimate grievances erodes public trust in governmental institutions, stressing that all laborers deserve dignified, respectful treatment from their public sector employers. “Treat the workers with respect,” he said.
This order forms a core plank of the new administration’s broader labor agenda, which centers on raising wages, strengthening workplace protections, and improving overall working conditions for all workers across Antigua and Barbuda. Browne reaffirmed that securing full entitlements for the nation’s labor force will remain a top priority for his government as it works to deliver on the campaign commitments that secured its renewed mandate last month.