The Congress of Trade Unions and Staff Associations of Barbados (CTUSAB) has called for urgent national talks after reports that construction firm CO Williams is to begin laying off workers, raising fresh concerns about contradictions in the country’s labour market during a period of reported skills shortages.

The company is expected to make some of its workers redundant from as early as Friday, citing declining competitiveness and sustained operational challenges. The move has drawn a strong response from the Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU), which is demanding evidence to justify the cuts.

The 66-year-old company, which traces its origins to 1960, when late founder Charles Williams began a small earthmoving business, notified “all employees” in an internal memo dated June 5 of job losses within days.