The Congress of Trade Unions and Staff Associations of Barbados (CTUSAB) has thrown its weight behind the Protection of Wages Bill, while warning that its impact will be limited without robust enforcement and insisting that government must face the same legal consequences as private employers for late or unpaid wages.

At the umbrella body’s monthly press conference, CTUSAB General Secretary Dennis De Peiza noted that while the bill has already been passed in Parliament, the trade union movement believes it is vital to record its position and advocate for necessary operational adjustments.

While acknowledging that CTUSAB aligns itself with the principles of fair treatment endorsed by social partners such as the Barbados Workers’ Union, the Barbados Employers’ Confederation, the Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Barbados Coalition of Service Industries, De Peiza insisted that statutory provisions mean very little without active enforcement.