The Dominica Amalgamated Workers Union (DAWU) has sounded the alarm over what it describes as escalating hostility and union-busting tactics by the management of the National Bank of Dominica Ltd (NBD). In a strongly worded statement, the union claims workers are facing increasing intimidation, a breakdown in industrial relations, and deliberate attempts to weaken organized labor within the institution.
The situation comes at a time when both the Bank and the Union are marking 47 years of operation—a milestone that should have reflected maturity in labor relations but is now instead marked by what DAWU calls “the worst industrial climate in decades.” According to the Union, this is the first time in its nearly five decades representing NBD workers that relations with the Bank’s management have deteriorated so rapidly.
At the center of the dispute is the Bank’s decision to remove 21 staff members from the union’s bargaining unit, reclassifying them as “managerial employees” without consultation. The union insists these are not managerial posts and that the sudden move was a tactic to dilute union membership. Letters sent to the Bank’s Board of Directors seeking redress have reportedly gone unanswered.
DAWU further alleges that employees were pressured to submit union cancellation letters under threat, following the Union’s protest against the reclassification. An appeal to the International Labour Organization was made but has yet to yield results.
Internal policy changes have also added to tensions. A new dress code allowing nose rings and multiple piercings was introduced by a recently appointed Executive Manager for Human Resources and Talent—a non-Dominican national whose arrival, according to the union, has been linked to a sharp shift in attitude toward union engagement. Supervisors now bear added responsibility for enforcing the policy, while the Bank also moved to replace traditional staff prayer with a corporate pledge—an action the union says has symbolic implications for workplace culture.
Union members have responded with visible protest, donning black clothing on mediation days as a show of solidarity. Yet efforts to mediate the conflict have faltered. The Ministry of Labour attempted to facilitate meetings on two occasions, but DAWU says the Bank refused to release shop stewards, stalling the process entirely.
Meanwhile, staff grievances continue to mount. Despite acquiring the customer and employee portfolios of two former banks, NBD has not increased salaries in three years nor issued end-of-year bonuses. Workers say workloads have risen sharply, while corporate donations and sponsorships continue outward.
On Wednesday, the Bank postponed a scheduled mediation session and instead summoned all staff to a general meeting—a move DAWU interprets as yet another act of coercion, designed to sideline legitimate labor concerns.
With May Day approaching, the union is calling for islandwide worker solidarity. “It’s not about the General Secretary,” the statement reads. “The Union is every worker. And when workers stand together, they cannot be ignored.”
DAWU says it will continue to demand accountability and has urged all union leaders and rank-and-file workers across Dominica to turn out in strength for May Day 2025 in defense of fair treatment and workplace dignity.
This article is copyright © 2025 DOM767
