SHIPPING ASSOCIATIONS
SHIPPING ASSOCIATION OF BARBADOS
BERMUDA SHIPPING ASSOCIATION
THE DOMINICA EMPLOYERS’ FEDERATION (DEF)
ESTABLISHMENT: Prior to 1979, Port Contractors Ltd (a private company which administered cargo handling operations at the Bridgetown Port), shipping agents and stevedore contractors formed the Shipping Group of the Barbados Employers’ Confederation. On the initiative of two founding members, the Shipping Association of Barbados (SAB) was formed and became effective on 1 January 1981.
IMPROVEMENTS: The association was formed in 1969 to meet the changing needs of Bermuda’s shipping industry. Prior to this date, the Steam Ship Agents’ Association, a division of the Bermuda Chamber of Commerce, had been the representative body. Since its formation, the association has advised in many areas of the industry in Bermuda, which has resulted in improvements in ship turnround times, cargo delivery systems, standardisation of documentation and port development.
The Dominica Employers’ Federation (DEF) was inaugurated on 28 March 1966 with an initial membership of 23 representing industry, shipping, agriculture and commerce.
OBJECTIVES: The SAB seeks, among other things, to provide for consultation between members; to ascertain views on matters of common interest; to collect and circulate statistical and other information relating to the shipping industry; and to co-operate with or be a member of any organisation, either national or international, whose objects are consistent with those of the association. To achieve its objectives, the association maintains a secretariat in Bridgetown to provide administrative support for the activities of the Committee of Management, the association’s managing body. MEMBERSHIP: Membership of the association is made up primarily of ship agents and stevedoring companies and now stands at 17. The SAB is a member of the Caribbean Shipping Association. The benefits which this association derives through its links with the CSA include training, research and representation at government and Caricom Secretariat level. OPERATIONS: The business of loading and offloading cargo is carried out by private stevedoring contractors, which are members of the SAB. Barbados Port Inc, the sole employer of labour at Bridgetown Port, and the SAB (acting on behalf of its member stevedoring contractors) entered into an agreement whereby Barbados Port Inc would provide the stevedoring contractors with all the labour needed to carry out their business in the port.
PARTICIPATION: The association was actively involved in and was a charter member of the Caribbean Shipping Association. In addition to past participation in many of the meetings, members of the Bermuda Shipping Association have served in various capacities of the larger body, including that of president from 1978-1981. Over the years the association has been involved in deliberations on such matters as pilotage, berthing, port modernisation, industrial relations and cruise ship policy. The present members continue to monitor the industry and are instrumental in initiating changes to reflect prevailing conditions in the industry when deemed necessary. The current stable industrial climate has made the role of the association quite an easy one. Little or no action has been necessary to maintain the levels of efficiency.
Upon registration as a trade union on 4 April 1966 under the revised laws of Dominica, the DEF received a licence to bargain collectively in the area of labour management. EMPLOYERS: The federation is a non-partisan, non-profit, non-sectarian association of employers acting together in pursuance of certain aims without taking on any formal separate legal structure. The constitution of the DEF provides for the formation and functioning of professional and/or interest groups within the umbrella organisation. From the inauguration of the federation, the shipping group has functioned as a national shipping association, catering for the specific needs of members with an interest in maritime affairs. The group’s primary role, however, is the pursuit of industrial peace in the shipping industry. It is a key player in this regard with port, terminal and cargo handling operators and the government’s regulatory machinery. CO-OPERATION: Human resource development has been added to the group’s mandate and has resulted in much co-operation with the regional Trainmar centre in the planning and delivery of training programmes locally. The DEF Shipping Group is a founding member of the Caribbean Shipping Association and, with one or two exceptions, has always participated in CSA meetings. The DEF Shipping Group is currently inactive and efforts are being made to revamp it.
To ensure the smooth running of the stevedoring operations, the association holds monthly meetings with the Management of Barbados Port Inc at which problems encountered by members are aired, discussed and, in most cases, resolved. The interests of member shipping agents who represent cruise lines are also looked after by the Association through collaboration with Barbados Port Inc and the Ministry of Tourism and International Transport.
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