标签： Antigua and Barbuda

The Antigua and Barbuda Workers’ Union (ABWU) has announced a significant academic accomplishment by its Deputy General Secretary, Chester Hughes, who has successfully obtained his Bachelor of Laws (LLB) with Upper Second-Class Honours from Aden University in the United Kingdom. This distinction represents a notable achievement in legal education, recognized globally for demonstrating exceptional analytical capabilities and comprehensive understanding of complex legal frameworks.

Hughes’ academic success underscores his dedication to professional development while simultaneously maintaining his leadership responsibilities within the trade union movement. The rigorous demands of legal education, combined with his executive role in worker advocacy, highlight his exceptional time management skills and commitment to both personal growth and public service.

The ABWU leadership emphasized that this educational milestone will significantly enhance Hughes’ ability to represent workers’ interests in legal matters, industrial relations, and social justice initiatives. His academic credentials provide him with advanced tools for navigating the complex legal landscape affecting labor rights and workplace protections.

This achievement serves as both an inspiration to working professionals throughout Antigua and Barbuda and a demonstration of the union’s commitment to educational advancement among its leadership. Hughes plans to continue his professional development by undertaking the Bar Training Course in the summer, representing the next phase in his legal career preparation.

The union community has expressed collective pride in Hughes’ accomplishment, recognizing it as a valuable asset that will strengthen their advocacy efforts and benefit the broader labor movement through enhanced legal expertise and strategic capabilities.

In a significant development for labor relations in the Caribbean nation, the Antigua and Barbuda Workers’ Union (ABWU) has finalized a comprehensive three-year Collective Bargaining Agreement with KFC Antigua. The landmark agreement, covering the period from October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2028, delivers substantial economic benefits for employees at the popular fast-food chain.

The negotiated compensation package features structured wage enhancements that will substantially boost worker earnings. Employees will receive an immediate weekly wage increase of $30 during the first year of implementation, followed by additional $15 weekly raises in both the subsequent second and third years. Beyond base pay improvements, the agreement acknowledges the particular challenges faced by shift workers by elevating their shift allowance from $35 to $40 per shift.

Hugh Joseph, the Senior Industrial Relations Officer who represented the union during negotiations, characterized the bargaining process as fundamentally constructive and productive. In post-negotiation comments, Joseph emphasized the critical role of worker engagement in achieving favorable outcomes. “The collective participation of workers stands as one of the most crucial elements in securing desirable results during negotiation processes,” Joseph stated, while simultaneously praising the dedication demonstrated by both rank-and-file workers and shop stewards throughout the extended discussions.

The successfully ratified agreement reinforces ABWU’s ongoing institutional commitment to advancing member welfare through strategic collective bargaining. The union maintains that such negotiated benefits directly translate to improved living standards for workers and their families, reflecting its core mission of protecting worker interests and well-being through structured advocacy and representation.

In a significant initiative to bolster military leadership and operational capabilities, Senior Non-Commissioned Officers have successfully concluded an intensive two-week professional development program. The specialized refresher course, conducted from January 12 to 24, 2026, was specifically designed to enhance leadership competencies, reinforce disciplinary standards, and strengthen overall mission readiness.

The comprehensive curriculum placed particular emphasis on the multifaceted responsibilities and elevated professional standards required of senior enlisted leaders within modern military structures. Participants engaged in rigorous drill training exercises meticulously crafted to improve unit cohesion and disciplinary precision, while simultaneously reviewing fundamental operational tasks critical to daily military functions.

A cornerstone of the program focused on the strategic role of Senior Non-Commissioned Officers as both operational leaders and professional mentors. The training highlighted their crucial function as the essential connective tissue between command leadership and junior personnel, emphasizing their unique position in maintaining organizational effectiveness and communication channels.

Program organizers confirmed the initiative successfully reinforced contemporary leadership methodologies while substantially improving the unit’s overall preparedness. The exercise underscored the indispensable value of experienced non-commissioned officers in preserving operational effectiveness and maintaining robust military structures capable of responding to diverse challenges.

A groundbreaking collaborative report from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and UNICEF has exposed a devastating epidemic of violence targeting children and adolescents across Latin America and the Caribbean. The publication, titled ‘Violence against children and adolescents in Latin America and the Caribbean: New data and solutions,’ reveals that violence remains a critical threat to the survival, health, and overall well-being of millions of young people in the region.

The most extreme manifestation of this crisis is homicide. Between 2015 and 2022, a staggering 53,318 children and adolescents were murdered. Recent data reveals a disturbing and gendered shift in trends. While the homicide rate for adolescent boys (15-17 years) showed a decline from 17.63 to 10.68 per 100,000 between 2021 and 2022, the rate for adolescent girls more than doubled during the same period, skyrocketing from 2.13 to 5.1 deaths per 100,000.

This lethal violence is fueled by a complex web of factors, including escalating armed conflict in certain areas, the pervasive influence of organized crime, widespread availability of firearms, deep-rooted social inequalities, and harmful gender norms that increasingly draw adolescents into situations of extreme danger.

The report emphasizes that violence is not an isolated incident but a interconnected phenomenon that often intensifies over time, beginning at a very young age. Shockingly, six out of ten children under 14 in the region experience violent disciplinary methods at home. Furthermore, one in four adolescents aged 13 to 17 faces bullying and harassment within school environments. Nearly 20% of women report enduring sexual violence before reaching the age of 18, and violence is increasingly migrating into digital spaces, though data on this newer frontier remains scarce.

Roberto Benes, UNICEF Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, stated, ‘Millions of children in our region confront violence daily—in their households, schools, and communities dominated by gangs. Numerous settings present genuine and severe risks. We possess the knowledge to end this cycle; what is required are robust, sustained public policies focused on prevention and response.’

Echoing this urgency, Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, Director of PAHO, highlighted the profound and lasting damage violence inflicts on the physical and mental health of the young, constituting a severe violation of their fundamental right to safety. He underscored the pivotal role of health services: ‘Through early identification of at-risk groups and the provision of timely, quality support, health workers can fundamentally alter outcomes for survivors, their families, and entire communities.’

Beyond diagnosing the problem, the report outlines a clear path forward, championing evidence-based solutions. PAHO and UNICEF are calling on regional governments to enact a multi-sectoral strategy. Key recommendations include strengthening and enforcing child protection laws, implementing effective firearm control, providing specialized training for police, teachers, and health and social workers, promoting positive parenting practices, investing in safe educational environments, and scaling up accessible support services. The ultimate goal is to ensure every child can grow up protected, with access to justice, and able to lead a healthy life free from violence.

The findings and proposed framework were validated during a major regional ministerial consultation on October 23-24, 2025, which convened over 300 participants, including government ministers, senior officials from health, education, and justice sectors, alongside civil society advocates, youth leaders, and international partners, all committed to agreeing on concrete actions for building safer environments for the young generation.