分类： business

In a significant development for organized labor in Antigua and Barbuda, the Antigua Trades and Labour Union (AT&LU) has earned formal designation as the exclusive collective bargaining representative for supervisory employees at the West Indies Oil Company (WIOC), one of the nation’s largest corporate entities.

Official confirmation of the appointment came via a formal certificate issued by Labour Commissioner Eltonia David on July 23. The documentation verifies that a majority of WIOC’s supervisory workforce cast their votes in favor of AT&LU taking on the representative role. Under the provisions of Antigua and Barbuda’s national Labour Code, this official designation grants the union sole legal authority to negotiate on behalf of the covered supervisory employees in all workplace and employment-related matters.

AT&LU President Bernard de Nully formally welcomed the new group of WIOC workers into the union’s ranks in remarks following the certification. He emphasized that the organization is fully prepared to robustly advance and protect the professional interests of the supervisory staff during upcoming collective bargaining negotiations with WIOC company leadership.

Beyond the immediate benefits for the workers involved, de Nully framed the appointment as a strategic milestone for the union. The selection expands AT&LU’s organizational footprint at WIOC, a major economic player in Antigua and Barbuda, while also addressing a longstanding gap by giving the facility’s supervisory personnel formal, legally recognized representation for their workplace concerns.

A leading international technology solutions provider has publicly announced a new full-time opening for a skilled Functional Analyst to join its growing product development team based in its downtown headquarters. The role is designed to bridge the communication gap between organizational stakeholders, business operation units, and technical development teams, turning complex business requirements into clear, actionable functional specifications for engineering staff.

Key responsibilities outlined for the position include conducting in-depth interviews with cross-departmental stakeholders to map existing business processes, identify pain points in current workflows, and document actionable improvement opportunities. The successful candidate will also be tasked with creating detailed functional requirement documents, leading user acceptance testing protocols, and collaborating closely with software developers to ensure final product deliverables align with core business objectives. Additional duties include post-implementation review, troubleshooting functional issues, and updating system documentation to reflect ongoing process changes.

Required qualifications for applicants include a minimum of three years of professional experience in a business analysis or functional analysis role, a strong working knowledge of agile development methodologies, and demonstrated skill in process mapping and requirement modeling. Candidates must also possess strong interpersonal and communication skills to facilitate productive discussions between technical and non-technical team members, as well as a bachelor’s degree in business administration, computer science, information systems, or a related field. Experience with enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems and data visualization tools is listed as a strong preferred qualification.

The company is offering a competitive compensation package that includes a base salary aligned with industry standards, performance-based annual bonuses, comprehensive health and wellness benefits, professional development stipends, and flexible hybrid work arrangements. The posting notes that the company is an equal opportunity employer, encouraging applications from candidates of diverse backgrounds and experiences. Applications are currently being accepted through the company’s official careers portal, with a deadline for submissions set for four weeks from the posting date.

The University of the West Indies Five Islands Campus (UWI FIC), a growing regional higher education institution based in Antigua, has opened applications for a full-time Project Technician role within its Projects and Planning Unit, which operates under the Office of the Campus Registrar. This position comes with a competitive annual salary ranging from 32,519.68 to 48,735.33 Eastern Caribbean dollars, tailored to the successful candidate’s qualifications and professional experience.

As a key member of the campus project management team, the hired technician will report directly to the Head of Projects and Planning, with core responsibilities spanning the full lifecycle of campus development and renovation projects. Key duties include supporting project development by coordinating communication between external contractors, material and service suppliers, and internal campus stakeholders, as well as drafting critical project documentation such as design briefs and progress reports. Candidates will also be tasked with conducting on-site assessments of campus spaces and buildings scheduled for renovation or remodeling, then delivering data-backed recommendations to the project leadership team to inform decision-making.

Additional core responsibilities include supporting procurement processes for all campus projects, which involves collaborating with end-user departments to confirm requirements for public Requests for Proposals, reviewing cost estimates, vendor quotations, and project invoices for accuracy. The role also requires technical review of all project materials, including architectural drawings, design briefs, and vendor proposals, to verify technical feasibility and compliance with campus standards. Throughout the construction or renovation process, the technician will track project milestones, document meeting minutes and official correspondence, monitor budget adjustments for end-of-project reconciliation, and conduct regular on-site quality control inspections to ensure work meets required standards. The position also includes conducting periodic project assessments and audits, preparing custom reports and stakeholder presentations as requested, and completing other job-related tasks assigned by project leadership.

To be considered for the role, candidates must meet a set of mandatory qualification and experience requirements. Applicants need to hold a minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture, Engineering, Project Management, Business Management, or a closely related field, paired with at least three years of progressive professional experience in one of these related sectors.

Interested candidates must submit a complete application package, including a filled-out official UWI employment application form, a detailed curriculum vitae outlining all relevant qualifications and professional experience, contact information for three professional references (with at least one reference from the applicant’s current employer), and official copies of all academic transcripts and degree certificates. All application materials must be submitted via email to the university, addressed to the Manager of the Employee Success Department at the Office of the Campus Registrar, UWI Five Islands Campus, located in Five Islands, St. John’s, Antigua.

The deadline for all completed applications is July 31, 2026. The selected candidate is scheduled to begin their on-site duties in Antigua on September 1, 2026. UWI notes that it appreciates interest from all applicants, but only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted for further steps. For additional general information about the campus and the role, interested parties can reach the university at (268) 484-3900 or visit its official website at www.fiveislands.uwi.edu.

Workers at the Eastern Caribbean Amalgamated Bank (ECAB) are set to enjoy improved compensation and working conditions after bank leadership and the Antigua and Barbuda Workers’ Union (ABWU) signed a new three-year Collective Bargaining Agreement.

The multi-year deal, which will run from October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2028, guarantees an overall 11% base salary increase across the three-year term. High-performing staff will also be eligible to earn an extra annual pay boost of up to 2%, creating additional incentives for outstanding work performance. Beyond salary adjustments, the agreement introduces a suite of updated employment benefits designed to support employee well-being and work-life balance. These include new paid study leave to support professional development, a doubling of paternity leave from five days to 10 days, five days of paid leave for new adoptive parents, shorter Friday working hours, and enhanced compensation for employees with long tenures at the institution.

Leadership from both sides praised the collaborative tone of the negotiation process, which resulted in a mutually satisfactory outcome. Fernando Samuel, Senior Industrial Relations Officer at ABWU, framed the talks as uniquely constructive, highlighting the consistent spirit of cooperation between the two negotiating teams. “The negotiations were very smooth and all parties were pleased with the outcome. I am satisfied that the benefits contained in this agreement represent real progress for our members,” Samuel shared.

Glenroy Aaron, an ABWU Shop Steward, welcomed the successful conclusion of talks, noting that the agreement reflects a shared commitment to preserving a productive, positive working relationship between the bank and its staff. “This agreement shows that the bank and the union are working together for the benefit of both employees and the organisation,” Aaron explained.

Fellow Shop Steward Natasha Joseph-Richards echoed that satisfaction, while calling for continued efforts to streamline negotiation timelines in future talks.

ECAB General Manager Michael Spencer emphasized that collaborative collective bargaining is a core part of building a balanced, high-productivity workplace. He noted that the new agreement underscores the bank’s long-term dedication to maintaining a strong, healthy partnership with the union and its member employees. “We are determined to ensure that our staff are treated fairly and that we are operating in an extremely harmonious environment. We’re very focused on that,” Spencer said.

Sandra Abbott, ECAB’s Human Resources Manager, reiterated the bank’s commitment to maintaining open, transparent, and respectful communication with union leadership moving forward. Tracy Benn-Roberts, ECAB General Counsel and Corporate Secretary and a member of the bank’s negotiation team, added that the years-long positive working relationship between the two institutions was a key factor in delivering the deal. “This win-win outcome for both parties would not have been possible without the foundation of trust we have built over time,” Benn-Roberts noted.

Both negotiating teams left the signing confident that unresolved issues deferred during the current round of talks will be addressed efficiently in the coming months, aligned with the spirit of cooperation and mutual respect that guided the entire process. The ABWU reiterated its ongoing commitment to partnering with regional employers to negotiate fair agreements that lift up working people and support stable, productive work environments across Antigua and Barbuda.

New 2024 balance of payments data from the International Monetary Fund, compiled in the World Bank’s World Development Indicators, has laid bare the extraordinary economic reliance that most Caribbean Community (CARICOM) member states place on travel service exports. Across 12 of the bloc’s 15 members that are included in the analysis, six economies see travel services — which measure all visitor spending within a nation’s borders — make up more than 80% of their total annual services exports. Topping the list is The Bahamas, where travel exports account for nearly 94% of all outbound services trade, followed closely by Saint Lucia at 90.1% and Grenada at 88.6%. Rounding out the group of highly dependent nations are Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Antigua and Barbuda, and Jamaica, all of which crossed the 80% threshold in 2024. Behind the leaders, other CARICOM members still recorded far higher shares than most global comparators: Saint Kitts and Nevis came in at 72.4%, Belize at 69.4%, and Dominica at 62.2%. Only three of the 12 surveyed nations posted travel export shares below 40%. These outliers are Haiti at 37.7%, Trinidad and Tobago at 34.7%, and Suriname at just 16.9%. Both Trinidad and Tobago and Suriname are established resource exporters, and their economies have developed other high-value service sectors that outpace travel in export volume. Experts stress that these percentages reflect the composition of national export sectors, not the absolute scale of the travel industry. A high share of travel in total services exports simply signals that no other service categories — including finance, transportation, and business services — generate export revenue at a similar level to tourism and visitor spending. When placed in a global context, the CARICOM average is dramatically out of step with international benchmarks. The global average share of travel services in total services exports sat at 19.8% in 2024, while the broader Latin America and Caribbean regional average was 41.5%. Even among global small states, which often lean more heavily on tourism than large economies, the average travel share is just 30.9% — less than half the share recorded in six CARICOM members. The current dataset excludes three CARICOM members due to gaps in recent reporting: Barbados has not submitted updated data since 2017, Guyana’s most recent figures are from 2023, and Montserrat is not included in the current round of statistical compilation.