For years after North Coast Hardware employees voted to unionize, workers at the Antigua and Barbuda-based retail hardware outlet have finally achieved a long-awaited milestone: a fully finalized Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between company management and the Antigua and Barbuda Workers’ Union (ABWU) that delivers meaningful, tangible gains for every member of the workforce. This landmark accord is the first formal negotiated agreement to be completed since workers formally opted for union representation, marking a watershed moment for labor rights at the company.
The deal packs a range of financial and work-life improvements for staff, starting with structured wage gains that will roll out over the next four years. In addition to an emergency 3% wage bump awarded to workers in 2024 while negotiations were still ongoing, the CBA locks in an total cumulative 8% base wage increase split across three years: 3% in 2025, followed by 2.5% annual increases in both 2026 and 2027. Beyond pay raises, the agreement codifies a suite of new and expanded benefits designed to support workers across all stages of their careers and personal lives.
Notably, all contract employees at the company will be converted to full permanent positions, a change that drastically boosts job security for a large segment of the workforce that previously lacked stable employment protections. The CBA also establishes a $20 daily meal allowance for workers, adds three paid days of paternity leave for new fathers, and creates a retirement plan that calculates benefits at 75% of an employee’s final severance rate. For staff employed as full-time company drivers, management has committed to covering the cost of renewing their professional driver’s licenses. The agreement also introduces clear, standardized rules for vacation time accrual and adds a formal compassionate leave provision to support workers dealing with personal or family emergencies.
Negotiations to reach the final agreement stretched over a longer timeline than many involved anticipated, according to Kem Riley, Senior Industrial Relations Officer at the ABWU. But despite the protracted process, Riley emphasized that the final outcome was well worth the sustained effort from union negotiators and worker representatives.
“Securing this first agreement and these meaningful benefits on behalf of our members was a top critical priority for our union,” Riley explained in a statement following the deal’s finalization. “We stayed the course through every stage of negotiations, and we are genuinely pleased with the outcome we have delivered for North Coast Hardware workers.”
For the ABWU, the successful conclusion of this landmark CBA represents more than just gains for one group of workers: it is a significant step forward in the union’s broader mission to advance fair compensation, improved working conditions, and stronger job security for organized labor across Antigua and Barbuda.