The Historical Tension in Capitalist Production: Exploring the Conflict Between Capital and Labor

Much of the recent worker discontent in Barbados seems to have focused on the hotel sector which raises the question as to whether the protest is against indigenous capital or foreign ownership and management. One has no in-depth knowledge of labour relations in Barbados but from what little I can glean, local capital cannot today be accused of ‘significantly mistreating’ black labour. Foreign capital within the hotel sector may pose a different consideration. Local firms such as Williams Industries and Goddards Enterprises have a reputation for cordial relations with their workforces. This is a perception ostensibly recognised by the BPSA who question ‘why the actions by a few hotels have led to consequences for the entire hotel accommodation sector and beyond’.

There is an element within North American capital that is strongly unsympathetic to trade unions and labour generally. In a perennial attempt to safeguard the corporate bottom line, profit margins and shareholder returns, workers become the proverbial sacrificial lamb. Barbados is becoming increasingly dependent on foreign direct investment, some of which may be callous and perhaps even prejudiced in dealing with black labour. We must be wary of foreign firms seeking consciously or unconsciously to reverse the labour gains achieved over the past 70 or so years. I personally see nothing wrong with asking firms that benefit from government concessions to observe certain minimum standards in dealing with their workers.

Speaking in the Upper House, Senator Tricia Watson spoke to ‘a gaping hole’ in the Labour Clauses Act. It is not surprising that in the Caribbean we have difficulties with implementation because so much of legislation is vaguely worded. In Barbados, this is so because the legislation appears to be rushed to give a political impression of being ‘progressive’. On the act itself Senator Watson, who is possessed of a sharp, critical intellect, stated: “And in all that, we see no rules, no process, no timelines, no mechanism.’ This is a concern that apparently gives the new senator what she calls “the heebie-jeebies”. Not sure how that feels.

In this contention between capital and labour, governments, both BLP and DLP, often find themselves caught between the proverbial rocks and sundry hard places. If they want to win in elections they have to capture the mass working-class vote by at least appearing to favour labour. On the other hand governments in Barbados cannot govern without the help of capital, indigenous and foreign. In addition, they invariably rely on capital to finance political campaigns. No one knows for sure how indebted successive governments are to white capital and prone to do its bidding. In the shadows, rumours abound concerning who is manipulating whom and in whose interest. I see no evidence of the fact that local white capital is malignantly manipulative of black labour in Barbados. Of course, I may not have the evidence.

Since 1951, Labour administrations have governed ideologically as pragmatic centrists. They established what Professor Hilbourne Watson writing critically from a leftist perspective calls ‘a historic compromise’ or ‘a petit-bourgeois consensus’ between white capital and black labour. (See “Errol Barrow and the Post-War Transformation of Barbados”, 2020) I do not and have never agreed with his conclusion that this approach represents a conscious attempt to ‘keep working-class aspirations in check’.

Ralph Jemmott is a retired educator and regular contributor on social issues.