The Bermuda Industrial Union today kicks off a major two-day conference.

And top Barbados trade unionist and politician Sir Roy Trotman, who earlier this week spoke at the white collar BPSU conference, will be the keynote speaker.

BPSU president Kevin Grant said the union’s conference concentrated on the need for three-way consultation between Government, unions and the private sector before any decisions are taken on controversial proposals to hive off services at present provided by Government.

The theme of the BPSU meeting was “Social Dialogue: A Catalyst to Economic Recovery and Growth.”

Mr Grant added: “It’s very important we have the social dialogue which is the theme of the conference.

“Those who attended will have heard the message that Brother Roy was bringing, which was about not being adversarial in our attempts to get things back on par, but about dialogue, which I have been saying for some time now.”

And Mr Grant said that Sir Roy had told Bermuda delegates that Barbados had gone through the same sort of recession problems Bermuda is now facing back in the 1990s.

He added: “The initiative that they had then would be pertinent for us — when they make decisions, they have consultation and that consultation is meaningful.”

And he stressed that consultation was “more than just a phone call”.

Mr Grant said: “It has to be something where there is buy-in and an attempt to get some sort of agreement going.

“It’s important that, before any legislation is passed, the unions need to be critical stakeholders and critical partners in any decisions.”

And Mr Grant added: “It’s always perceived that the private sector feels they are the ones that can perform better — but that is not necessarily the case.”

The BIU conference, to be held at the union’s Hamilton HQ, starts at 9.30am.

Senator Sir Roy, who has been active in the labour movement for more than 40 years, rose to general secretary of the Barbados Workers’ Union in 1992.

He was a member of the Lower House of the Barbados Parliament between 1986-94 and is a founder and president of the Congress of Trades Unions and Staff Associations in Barbados. Sir Roy was also president of the Caribbean Congress of Labour for two terms between 1989-95.

He was the first black president of the International Confederation of Trades Unions, now the International Trades Union Congress, and is currently the organisation’s vice president, as well as holding a director’s role with the International Labour Organisation.