Young workers must be seen and treated as central to the future of Barbados and its workplaces, not as bystanders to decisions made about them, newly elected chair of the Congress of Trade Unions and Staff Associations of Barbados (CTUSAB) Young Workers’ Committee, Chaunaci Belgrave, has said.

Belgrave told reporters that attracting young people to trade unions goes far beyond mere recruitment figures. She said that young workers represent the future of the nation, the workforce, and the trade union movement itself, despite many currently remaining disconnected from organised labour.

High youth unemployment remains a major barrier to engagement, reaching 18.5 per cent in 2025, significantly outpacing the national unemployment rate of 6.5 per cent. Alongside economic uncertainty and the rising cost of living, young employees frequently encounter systemic dismissiveness in the workplace, Belgrave said.