Workers must have a say in the Country’s decision-making process if Bermuda is to bounce back from the economic crisis, according to Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer.Mr Spencer told Bermuda Industrial Union members at their Labour Day banquet on Friday night that governments need to collaborate with unions to give people a chance of surviving the recession.And he declared his own country and the rest of the Caribbean are in the same boat as Bermuda, urging greater cross-country trade and economic cooperation to create new opportunities.“I am cognisant more than ever of the power of people participation in the national decision-making process and the importance of community mobilisation,” he said.“The need for having a clearly defined, productive, professional and cordial relationship between regional governments, trade unions and other social partners is the only solution that will guarantee the successful construction of the new Bermuda society and the Caribbean nation as a whole.“As political, labour, civic and social leaders, we are all challenged to find new strategies that can help our people to minimise the economic and social challenges affecting our societies and maximise the opportunities for them to prosper.”During his time as assistant general secretary of the Antigua and Barbuda Workers Union, Mr Spencer joined forces with the BIU and other Caribbean unions to tackle labour related issues.In his speech at the Fairmont Southampton on Friday, he said labour organisations must now put more emphasis on giving workers knowledge and training, while considering regional social and health insurance schemes.“The need for this collaborative approach at the national and regional levels is even more evident when we begin to examine the demands for new skills and knowledge among our workers,” he said.Factors affecting the modern workforce, he said, include improved technology across the world, companies restructuring to give workers less supervision and more personal responsibility, and an ageing working population.“We are challenged to find creative ways here in Bermuda or Antigua and Barbuda to continue the process of reshaping and refining the national blueprint through social dialogue and functional cooperation,” he said.“It is easy for us to criticise and become disenchanted with Government, especially in these difficult times for the global economy.“It’s in these difficult times that it seems easy to just give up and follow an easy path offered by some slick salesman claiming an ability to solve all your problems overnight.“The truth is, change doesn’t happen overnight. No one has a magic pill to solve all our problems. Instead, in these difficult times, Bermudians, and all people in the region, must come together and work together to surely and steadily turn our collective situation around.“We must work together within our respective countries and we must work together as a wider Caribbean nation, increasing trade and economic cooperation, to help create new opportunities for all our people.“We are all in this boat together and I know that we are stronger together.”Mr Spencer had opened his speech condemning “vile and racist” comments on the Bernews website, claiming blacks and whites must fight for justice and equality for all.He has been Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda since 2004, when he led the United Progressive Party to an election victory after many years in opposition.