After months of constructive, good-faith discussions between the Antigua and Barbuda Workers’ Union (ABWU) and the leadership of Antigua Distillery Limited, frontline and administrative staff at the regional spirits production facility are poised to receive a cumulative 8% salary raise spread across a three-year term, alongside a sweeping package of upgraded employment perks. The newly ratified Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) will take effect in March 2026 and run through February 2029, marking a landmark collaborative win for both labor and management. The structured wage increment schedule breaks down to a 3.5% pay bump in the first 12 months of the agreement, followed by a 2.5% adjustment in the second year and a final 2% increase in the third and final year of the deal. Beyond direct salary gains, the ABWU negotiating team locked in a suite of quality-of-life improvements for rank-and-file employees that go far beyond traditional wage terms. These updates include raised meal stipends, recalibrated shift premiums and emergency call-out compensation, a two-day expansion of paid paternity leave from 3 to 5 full days, and a new company policy that covers 100% of annual driver’s license renewal fees for all staff members who hold designated driving roles at the distillery. Jason Philip, elected Shop Steward for the distillery’s unionized workforce, hailed the entire negotiation process as remarkably fair, and took the opportunity to advise younger, newer members of the staff to look past immediate dollar-value pay gains to recognize the long-term security that structured collective bargaining can deliver. “Many of the non-wage benefits we fought for will ripple out to support your household stability for years, in ways a one-time pay raise never could,” Philip emphasized. He added that while competitive wages are always a core priority for union representation, expanded leave entitlements and standardized workplace protections create far more sustainable, meaningful support for workers and their families over the long term. Representing the distillery’s leadership, Human Resources Manager Karen Joseph noted that the company’s top priority moving forward is fostering a collaborative, harmonious workplace culture, and asked all staff to approach the implementation of the new agreement with mutual patience and goodwill as operational teams roll out the new policies and pay structures on schedule. Fernando Samuel, Senior Industrial Relations Officer at ABWU, extended formal gratitude to Antigua Distillery’s management team for their cooperative, solution-focused stance during every stage of the talks, noting that the absence of adversarial posturing from both sides allowed the parties to finalize the full, comprehensive agreement well ahead of any potential deadlines that could have triggered labor disruptions.
ABWU Secures 8% Salary Increase and Improved Benefits for Antigua Distillery Workers
