THE PAN-AFRIKAN LIBERATOR

The interview was done by Justin "Hero" Cassell of the GIU. The questions were prepared and presented to the governor for his choice and approval before the final copy was taped and aired on the program, "Government and People."

Everything said here by the governor was well thought out before it was answered. Due to lack of space in this issue, the entire interview is not published. Of the 11 questions asked 7 are being printed at this time.

The other 4 will be carried in the next issue along with an in depth analysis of what the governor said. We suggest to our readers that they take time to analyze this interview as we believe it has far reaching implications for the people of the land.

(Q)Can you tell me the type of background which you brought to this job as governor of Montserrat?

(A)Yes it's not a traditional background for a governor but unfortunately the old style governors are now all retired and there's nobody who's got their background.

I joined the foreign office in 1961 and trans- ferred over to the diplomatic service in 1966 and since then have spent all my career overseas apart from two short spells in London.

I had a variety of posts, a variety of jobs. No direct relevant experience to dependant territory work.

But I think that the sum of the total experience should stand me in very good stead as governor.

For instance in West Afrika I ran an office with over 100 staff and then when I went back to London I had a department of 220 staff and an annual budget of about, EC$350 million.

Before leaving London I was responsible for the delivery of health care to 20,000 people worldwide.

Now that's not directly relevant to the role of governor, but I think governors are becoming more hands-on people than they were in the past.

And given the fact that we don't have people who serve their apprenticeship in the colonial service, the colonial service finished in 1966.

So there just aren't any, there aren't people around. So I think increasingly we will look to people like myself, generalists from the diplomatic service who will bring this range of experience to the job.

(Q)Can you summarize your goal as governor of Montserrat?

(A)Although it's a new style of governor the role has not changed and as I see it the governor represents three different constituent parts.

He is firstly the personal representative of her majesty the queen. The queen personally appoints all governors.

We go along with our wives to the palace, we kiss hands with the queen and we have a 20-minute audience with her where we discuss the job in hand.

The queen is probably the most knowledgeable person on the commonwealth and she gave me some very good advice about Montserrat which she visited in 1966.

The governor is also the representative of her majesty's government. The secretary of state, Douglas Hurd, has responsibility for the dependant territories and it's the governor's role to advise the secretary of state on Montserratian affairs and to convey to the government of Montserrat the current policies of her majesty's government.

Finally, and by no means least and I think almost the most important part of the job is to be the representative of the Montserratian people.

The governor has got an important responsibility for conveying to her majesty and the government in London, the views, hopes, and aspirations of the Montserratian people.

The governor acts as the official ombudsman. The number of people who've stopped my wife and I in the street with small problems, they clearly look to the governor to help them.

Sometimes it's with bureaucracy; sometimes it's with a personal problem. I've been rather touched by that relationship between the man in the street and the governor.

They feel that they can approach and I want to encourage that. Unless we have contact with the man in the street we will never know what Montserratians want for themselves as a nation.

The governor works according to the constitution and many Montserratians will know the full role and responsibilities of the governor. But I suspect that there are a number who don't.

Probably a lot of foreigners who live on the island, non- Montserratians who don't quite understand this rather anachronistic position, but the governor does have far more responsibilities.

All matters involving defence and external affairs, international finance, internal security including the police force.

The governor makes all appointments to public offices.

Now the governor doesn't do any of that in isolation from the government of Montserrat.

We are now in the early 1990's and it's really partnership government. The governor meets with all ministers at exco every Thursday.

The areas for which the governor is responsible, the governor will discuss those with the ministers and will seek to have a consensus even in the areas for which he is responsible.

There are times, and there will always be times, when the governor will just have to act as he sees fit even if it's not in accordance with what the government of Montserrat wants.

I'm pleased to say that we haven't had that, but it will occur I'm sure.

The key thing is it's partnership government and the governor, by being the president of exco is party to ministers' deliberations on all the other areas for which they have got complete control.

The governor listens, puts in his views if he is asked and puts in his views if he is not asked at times.

He does in an extremist sense have ultimate control.

If the decision is been taken, which perhaps the governor thinks, would be totally wrong, and again the number of times that the governor will interfere in what is being devolved by the government of Montserrat, I hope will be absolutely minimum.

(Q)Have you set any personal objectives for your term as governor?

(A)Well I suppose it depends on what you mean by personal. I don't think you mean personal to Frank Savage but I'll still tell you what Frank Savage would like to do here, that is watch as much cricket as possible, go fishing as much as possible, and learn to play golf and spend as much time on your beautiful golf course as possible.

Enjoy the caribbean Montserratian lifestyle which I think is rather relaxed, and to meet every Montserratian on the island and perhaps sip a beer with most of the Montserratians.

But I think your question was probably what are the personal objectives of the governor as governor.

I think the first one is to work closely with the elected government of the day for the benefit of Montserrat and all Montserratians.

The second important objective is to insure as far as I can within the confines of my responsibilities that all the current aid projects are brought to a successful conclusion on time.

There is a tremendous amount going on at present and within the next 18 months I think all the major post- hugo reconstruction projects will be completed.

We are currently working or about to start work on the new government headquarters, several projects at Glendon hospital. There are road projects going on. There is a new library to be constructed. There will be a new post office. There will be the refurbishment of the present parliament building, new schools at Bethel and Harris.

This is quite a concentrated period of construction and as part of the aid package some projects are completed or just coming through to fruition. There's been quite a lot of road improvements and a considerable sum of money put into the quarry at an earlier stage.

There's been the resurfacing of the port compound, some water projects including a new reservoir; drainage improvement schemes in Parsons and Amersham; strengthening of the runway coastal protection work, rehabilitation of all the police stations all around the island.

This total aid package come to something like $60 million EC. Outside of that there are some additional projects which will be running in parallel.

People have probably heard there's to be a new prison, not a universally popular scheme from what I've heard.

I'd like people to be constructive and positive about it. I think one of the main benefits apart from giving better living conditions to prisoners is to free up the existing prison which has got a super location.

I know this government have got some rather ambitious plans for that. It is part of making plymouth more attractive to foreigners.

So that's quite an exciting project. On our own front we are in the process of refurbishing government house and that's a project which is going to cost close to 1 million EC$.

And we are shortly about to start building a new governors office. The governor's office got blown into the sea during hugo. They are being financed by the foreign office totally different from the aid package.

We've also strengthened the governors by the appointment of Jackie Bersin, the staff officer, because there is so much work for the new style of governor, and it is thought that governors do need now personal assistant and that what Jackies role is.

The british government has also got 16 technical corporation officers on the island which a part of my objectives are to insure that make a full contribution to the aid package. Now another important objective is that as the listeners will probably know there is a strategic review team on island at present.

There are 7 or 8 consultants who are preparing sector plans in various areas. Agriculture, tourism, finance, public service and this is a project being funded by the ODA.

The terms of reference agreed by the government of Montserrat and this is designed to look at Montserrat in the future.

The reconstruction post-hurricane hugo package was to restore the infrastructure.

This next trange of aid which I think will be linked to the outcome of this review is looking at taking Montserrat forward to the turn of the century and beyond.

And for me, one of my objectives is to try and take that program forward as smoothly as possible with the government of Montserrat and with the consultants.

I've also got an objective to insure that the police, fire service and defence force, are manned, equipped and trained to the levels necessary to provide Montserrat with a highly disciplined force to maintain law and order and to be able to respond to natural and man-made disasters.

I'm sure I've got plenty more objectives. Well one more worth mentioning is to play a leading role, leading as I'm allowed to in finding the appropriate solution to Blackburne airport.

It is an issue which crops up in every conversation you have in Montserrat and I think is the key to the future for Montserrat.

So that is an objective of mine too. To try and work closely with the government of Montserrat to get the right solution.

(Q)Do you find that the role of governor in any way conflict with the ambition of the people for self-determination?

(A)I don't see any conflict at all and I've not had any conversation with any Montserratian since my arrival that leads me to believe that there is a conflict. I think it's probably worth stating what the british government position is on independence.

Our position or the british government position is that they do not seek in any way to influence opinion in Montserrat on this important question.

We don't urge Montserrat to consider moving toward independence, but we stand ready to respond positively when it is the clearly and constitutionally expressed wishes of the people.

I think it is, should be, the expectation and aspiration of every young Montserratian to want to run their country.

It's an honourable aspiration and I think the british government will want to continue to work closely with the government of Montserrat to put the infrastructure right through this next trange of aid to look to the future of Montserrat.

And I'm sure at some point in that process the government of Montserrat will raise the question and at that point I think it's a decision that should be taken jointly.

I hope it will be taken jointly. It may be that the people of Montserrat will not want independence for the foreseeable future and that again is something which we look at each time the question is raised.

(Q)In what ways do you think the people of Montserrat can help to make your term successful?

(A)Well I thought long and hard about this. I think rather than considering how they can make my term successful I think Montserratians need to look to the future.

I think they need to think seriously of the future of the island.

If Montserrat is to arrest the decline in population, if it is to make Montserrat more attractive to retain school-leavers and your graduates whom you spent a considerable sum on educating, I think Montserrat is going to need to create more jobs which create wealth.

I'm not talking about more public sector jobs, but jobs which will contribute to and expanding the economy.

I think there are some more practical ways Montserratians could help themselves.

You've got a beautiful island and many foreigners flocking at it but the island could be made more attractive and more beautiful than it is at present.

I know that the Montserrat Chamber of Commerce has got a campaign under way to beautify Plymouth and I think every Montserratian should give serious thought to the problem of public litter, public tidiness.

I'll tell you a little story, I was watching cricket at Cork Hill the other Sunday and they very kindly brought me a beer. I was standing next to a bin at the end of it and two or three of us put our bottles in there. But, there was a gentleman standing next to me and he threw his bottle into a bush.

I mean it was more difficult to get it into the bush than into the bin. An umpire was passing. He was a teacher and asked him why he did not put it in the bin. The gentleman could not be persuaded to pick it up. It's just a silly little example. If the facilities are there, use them.

I would like to see more facilities created and I hope to be working closely with the MCCI on that particular campaign.

I think there is also some empty pocket behavior which people could take a close look at. It's an issue which I've read about in the newspaper, people taking sand from the beaches.

If the government of Montserrat has decreed that is no longer permissible, then people shouldn't do it.

If you are having a property built or a factory built, I'm sure you know whether beach sand is being used or quarry sand.

So again it comes down to public values, public perception of what's right and wrong.

I think I've been very struck by the amount of voluntary work that goes on the island. Veronica and I have met a lot of public- spirited people.

I spent a considerable amount of time with the defence force at their camp the last two weeks and I know that the chief fire officer is looking to create an auxiliary fire service.

There are a lot of areas where Montserratians will be able to give their time on a voluntary basis which I think will be for the good of the community and will go someway toward helping me toward my term of office.

There is one other area where I think the public have got a duty, and that's in the role of the use of drugs.

The fear that everybody's got of Montserrat becoming used as a trans- shipment place for hard drugs from outside of the region going to other places outside of the region.

I think there is sometimes a tendency for people to look at people off the island who made a lot of money from drugs and perhaps even secretly to admire the wealth they have accumulated.

But when you've worked closely with hard drugs, and in West Afrika for three years I did work closely, I can assure all Montserratians that if hard drugs come in here as part of a trans-shipment process within a very short period of time young Montserratians will be hooked on cocaine, on heroin and other hard drugs.

Because the drug barons want it that way, it serves their purposes, it gives them a force around them, it protects them from being caught.

And so Montserratians should be alert and they should work closely with the commissioner of police and the customs on this situation.

Montserrat's got a fine reputation. The level of crime here is one of the lowest of any country in the world. It's not tainted by imported hard drugs at the moment and that's something every Montserratian must insure doesn't happen.

(Q)The job of governor and that of Chief Minister can sometimes conflict. How do you see yourself minimizing these conflicts?

(A)Well I'm sure they will. It's like hurricanes. It's not if, just when, and I want to have as close a working relationship with the elected government as possible.

That is, the most productive way of governor and government going ahead and that's for the benefit of, I think, all Montserratian people.

Now I have not encountered any conflicts so far, and I hope that I have established a good working relationship with ministers and I look forward to that continuing.

I've met all ministers and I'm impressed by the range of policies they are following at present.

There are some very unpopular decisions have been taken but I think they have been taken bravely.

By regular meetings with ministers and the chief minister I think that will lead to an understanding of each other's positions and that should reduce the area for conflict.

But, there will be conflict at times and we have to be professional enough to resolve those difficulties as and when they crop up.

(Q)Your predecessor helped a number of very worthy causes on the island. Do you still have the means available to help and have you identified any such causes?

(A)Well governor Taylor was much loved and much respected on the island and by the time he left I think he was like the back of his hand and he had identified a number of very worthy causes.

He left me a shopping list to continue and we are looking at that. The amount of money we have available is finite.

The governor probably gets 8 or 9 requests for every one he can grant and so that is a difficult part of the job is deciding what is a worthy project and what is still worthy but there just aren't adequate funds.

I think I've set myself a couple of objectives here with the money available. I would like to concentrate on projects involving the youth of Montserrat and the department of sport, the development voluntary organizations for youngsters, and where necessary to assist with the school programs-- perhaps with some vocational training assist with tools and the like.

The other area is to help with community projects to help with people who are less well advantaged. Governor Taylor was able to supplement the rather small sum which we get through the head of mission gift scheme by his own ingenuity and I think Montserrat is very fortunate that it's got a small but extremely generous group of expatriates who live on the island who I think over the years have contributed a generous amount of money and a very considerable amount of time in assisting the community in Montserrat.

Governor Taylor, because he knew them very well, was able, was expert at getting them to donate money to some of his funds. I'm sure that as I get around and meet leading members of the expatriate community I will be able to generate extra funds as well.

But I have said to a number of groups that Veronica and I want to support, the support might not always be in cash but we can give our time we can sponsor things we can turn up and encourage and there, the only area where I've come across so far where I have an advantage over governor Taylor is that Montserrat, in our case gets two for the price of one.

Montserrat is currently going through a social and economic crisis. The legacy of the slavery system, which was simply replaced by the colonial system in name only, is directly responsible for the present conditions on the island.

The difference between the slave system and the colonial system is minor. The physical release of Afrikans who were held in bondage is the only noticeable variation.

There has been absolutely no change in the attitude of the former masters, now the colonial controllers to the now "free" Afrikans.

The colonial system controls every single aspect of the life of the island and as a result, every aspect of the life of the individuals on the island.

Every system in the country, whether it be the governor, Government and Civil Service, hospital and medical services, Police Department, Water Authority, Cable & Wireless or the companies organized by CDC, Monlec and the Montserrat quarries.

All have been established under the same pattern of colonial control.

At the top you have the managers who are all english.

Directly beneath them you have the willing local collaborators who are miseducated and believe they are better than their own people.

They are ever ready and anxious to do their master's bidding. Beneath that you have the working labourer, forced by economic constraints to labour without complaint.

Within the labour force you also have a minority of traitors who recognize that selling out their own is an easy road to personal advancement.

The result of this colonialised organisation is that no matter where you go in the community as a private individual or as a worker you will find the same cast of characters acting and reacting in exactly the same manner.

The only difference will be that there are different faces in each place that you go. Because the workplace is small and the number of workers are limited, the colonial attitude of management and the direction of their policies become more obvious.

Depending on the particular institution that you interact in, there are slight variations in how the colonial system works.

Its greatest strength, however, lies in management's willingness to use devious and underhanded means to turn the workers against each other.

By encouraging naive workers and gossip mongers to bring information to them they set up an information gathering network.

Through skillful manipulation of the information gathered, they keep the workers at each others throats.

With little or no unity or trust among themselves, the workers are then mercilessly exploited by management.

At one point in time, the civil service had gotten rid of all the englishmen that occupied the top of the work structure.

Our leadership, limited in will, analysis and vision do not seem to be able to see the destructive effects that the colonial system has on our country.

As a result, none of them has ever had the will or made an effort to change or replace it.

In the civil service, they simply replaced our colonial masters with local masters and kept the colonial system in place.

Now that the british have decided that Montserrat and the remaining dependant territories should stay in their possession forever, they have simply moved back in at the top in both the public and the private sector.

Skillful manipulation of the economy by the british has caused small local businesses to collapse.

Forced imposition of regulations by the british has totally destroyed the local contractors' ability to compete in the construction industry.

Colonial overlords and expatriates have, since Hugo, replaced all local management and the merciless manipulation of the country economically and socially are being taken to a new level.

In the community at large, the expatriates assume the same colonial mentality that their associates practice in the work place.

They enter the island and immediately presume that they should occupy positions at the top of the social and economic structure.

Their actions and relationship with the community varies slightly or not at all from that of the colonial "rulers" in the workplace.

The result can only be the social unrest that is now becoming more and more evident.

The information that follows is currently taking place in one of our local industries. Because each and every british established system in this country follows exactly the same pattern, it can be any workplace that you choose.

The base of the present company has slipped quietly into oblivion with little or no fanfare. Montserratians worked very hard for very little for many years to build up the local branch.

Some of the older workers are no longer alive, but others are still working for the company. The labouring men who were the backbone in the establishment of the infrastructure had to make connections from Plymouth to St. John's, Plymouth to Bethel, and Plymouth to O'garro's.

These connections, by the way, were constructed on the theory that the shortest distance between two points was a straight line. If there happened to be any obstacle, e.g. hill, mountain, ghaut, ravine, you name it, between that straight line, it had to be overcome.

With the limited and cumbersome equipment available, these men in their traditional role as the "work for little or nothing labourer" built the company.

Some of these workers are now retired with very small pensions. No one even seems to invite them to the company's annual christmas dinner. Like a piece of rag, they have been used and put aside.

During the years of development, Montserratians also acquired the administrative skills necessary to run the company.

With the aid of dynamic external organisation, the workers unionized.

Because of their unity and the external support given by the umbrella organization of MAWU they were able to make the company give to the laboures long overdue concessions.

The company eventually became the jewel in MAWU's collection and their unionized success encouraged other groups to come under MAWU's umbrella.

At the height of their organized and unified union activities, the workers began to acquire shares in the local branch, and many locals moved into top management positions.

The local company has since quietly disappeared without explanation. The local workers in many instances were tricked by the company's local lackeys.

Using the promise of the lump sum payment that each share-holder would receive they convinced many of the workers to sell their ownership in the company.

The controlling interest in these shares of the local branch were bought out by the Hong Kong branch of the company.

Having taken back the workers share in the company the greater company policy began to emerge.

Since Hugo, the clear policy that seems to have been adopted is to undermine and push out the local workers who are in positions of control.

The mode of operation has been to bring in an inexperienced expat who immediately moves to the top of the management structure.

This translates into a paid holiday in a tropical paradise with all the extras -- a paid-for mansion with a swimming pool, house and yard services in the form of maids and "yardboys," a company car to be used as a private vehicle, travelling expenses, entertainment expenses -- all the trappings that come with a state diplomat.

This position is held for a year or two and with it comes all the internal powers that one assumes in the now perfected slave and master atmosphere of the workplace.

Of course, during this period that non-functional, non-entity is trained and promoted way beyond his capability.

This malpractice scam has been and continues to be practiced in Montserrat.

In 1990/91 the agreement negotiated between the workers' union and the company caused confusion, anger, resentment and frustration among the workers.

The company's management did everything in its power to convince the workers that the fault lay with the union.

The result was that short-sighted union members, not recognizing the well perfected union busting tactic of divide and rule, left the union.

Management chortled with glee among themselves and congratulated each other on their apparent victory when it appeared that the union had in fact disintegrated.

Those local lackeys who willingly assisted in the manipulation and coercion of the workers have been well rewarded and now occupy excellent positions on the company's management team.

Presently in the draft personnel policy, no mention is made of "union" in "grievance." It is suggested that another employee of the company can "act" as a representative for any employee who has a grievance with the company.

During the past year, two union members have been dismissed. Under normal circumstances where a company recognizes the union, the simple courtesy of a letter to the union would have been made.

No such gesture in both cases have been made by the local branch. At this year's negotiations, management simply turned down all proposals by the Union.

Some, were quite reasonable and others, have been accepted in the agreement for years. Other companies on the island have, in fact, copied some of these agreements because they contributed to a friendly and comfortable working relationship between the company and its workers.

To add insult to injury, around the year 1990, the established Caribbean regulations book was simply thrown out of the window without consultation.

Having taken all the steps that corporate structures have designed and perfected to destroy unions from within, all indications are that the present administration is seeking a confrontation with the workers.

It appears that management feels that the union has been broken and cannot withstand a confrontation.

To insure that the restructuring of the company follows the direction that the company desires regardless of the effect on the workforce, some heavy handed moves were made.

The Local general manager is replaced by an expatriate. The Local manager of administration is replaced by an expatriate. The Local manager of finance is replaced by an expatriate.

The jobs of all local personnel have been downgraded. The approach used is another old ploy in the corporate arena.

The incoming inexperienced expat pretends that the local worker does not know his job.

If he cannot operate on that pretense, then strange rumors crop up as to the well- established local worker's inability to do the job that he had been doing efficiently for years. With the assumption of control by these expats, over-supervision, in some cases, has lead to frustration and loss of interest in work.

Another well established ploy is the promotion or hiring of less experienced local personnel.

Even though it appears to be innocent, less experienced workers find themselves promoted over their fellow workers without the appropriate rise in pay.

Good, experienced women and men are pushed into little boxes and an environment is created in the workplace which forces them to seek new employment or resign as some of them just cannot work under the new conditions.

The entire local management staff at the top management level have lost their posts. Those who were not fired were placed in an atmosphere which under normal conditions of job opportunities they would have left.

All local managers who knew how to do their jobs were undermined. All experienced staff were either downgraded or put into a divide-and-rule situation on the job.

To insure that their instructions would be carried out, new staff was taken on together with the twelve (12) or so overseas supervisors who were unnecessary in the workplace, but necessary to carry out the company's greater plan.

These new staff seemed to be working for those who hired them rather than for the company.

The local resident opportunists are consumed by the power that doing their master's bidding allows them to wield over their own people.

They seem quite willing to sell their mother's for their own material gain and personal advancement.

With these "want to be's" up front and the new staff to act as a buffer, management has become more arrogant than ever.

Two unionized members of staff have been dismissed and after inquiries, to date, no correspondence at all has been made to the Union.

With a local hatchet man to front for them, management's intent seems to be focused on getting rid of the existing experienced and qualified staff, and the destruction of the union.

The workers are already up in arms against the company's now infamous (as far as the working staff is concerned) performance-related to pay increase. They are all aware that this is simply a piggy- back rip off of the union-negotiated pay increase.

All the workers know that in any unionized corporate structure that performance-related pay is simply another corporate tactic that sets one worker against the other.

Not only have Montserratian workers lost jobs and positions because of recently introduced management practices, but now, it seems that the workforce is also being asked to take an insulting 2% increase on their wages.

The company, by the way, generated 14 million dollars last year.

This is an arrogant and over confident move by management. To compound the insult, management has come up with the lump sum trick again and offered to pay this increase in one lump sum at the end of the year.

The reality of this offer when calculated in real dollars works out to a lump sum christmas bonus of $200 for the labourer and $700 for those in management positions.

In monthly pay check terms this works out to a $20.00 a month increase for the little man and $60.00 for the bigger little men. Of course all of this is before taxes, and of course any lump sum figure given is subject to tax.

When union officials pointed out this fact to the workers by putting the information on the bulletin an expatriate manager angrily and arrogantly ripped it off the board.

The company has reserved for itself the right to step outside of the negotiated agreement and give to whomever they feel like and extra one or two percent in the on- going divide and rule game.

Once again the few willing lackeys who love their masters more than they love themselves are expending all of their time and energy in one and one conversations with the workers.

They use all methods from fooling to coercion to get the workers to accept the offer. Some workers who do not seem to realize that they are being offered a bone dressed up to look like a suckling pig are actually putting pressure on their union representatives to give in and accept the insulting offer.

There is no doubt this sickening maneuver is an attempt to make the present GM look good before he goes.

The reality is that his stewardship has turned out to be one of complete mis-management.

The majority of the staff believes that he has overstayed his tropical holiday by at least two years. During this period, the workers and the company have suffered from his devious and unacceptable approaches toward management and problem solving.

Tying the union to an inadequate agreement would allow him to leave with the impression that he is an accomplished manager. It would also be a story to laugh about with "his boys" in the bar room.

A short spell of his performance in any small- to middle-sized private company would have run that company into bankruptcy in no time.

The workforce in Montserrat is paying for the mistake of outsiders who have contributed nothing to the growth and the performance of the Montserrat branch of the company.

Government, in future, must be more protective of local managers.

Management "expertise" brought in from the outside have little or no understanding of the workings of a small society. Furthermore, their goals and directives always turn out to be detrimental to the community.

Many of the policies carried out cannot be practiced in england. They are, however, openly practiced and enforced in Montserrat.

The workers have remained quiet for a number of reasons. Apathy and the skillful exploitation of the slave mentality of the workers by the minority of sharks in the workplace easily come to the fore.

The economic position of the workers, however, is the controlling factor that allows management to frighten and oppress the workers.

In an effort to blind the public to the true internal reality, a public relations team with what appears to be a generous expense account is employed. Small handouts are given to the community.

In most cases, it would seem that these are paid for out of funds earmarked for pay increase for the workers. What appears to be an act of generosity by the company is in fact the company giving nothing but taking from Peter to pay Paul.

Both the community and the workers are been made to look like fools in many areas.

The most destructive factor in the workplace, is the minority element that has accepted the idea that any act performed is acceptable so long as "I" get personally rewarded for doing it.

These minor few, because of their willingness to service their "master" at the expense of their sisters and brothers always wind up in controlling positions in the corporate structure.

Montserratians who are quite capable of doing their job in management are fully prepared to act as front men in the old divide and rule situation in the workplace.

Management currently consists of five department heads. Two are expats and three are local. One of those local department heads worked his way into the corporate structure through skillful manipulation of the workers when he too was a worker and a high ranking union member.

Another of those heads came in with the new team and has immediately assumed all the habits of his overlords including the way he walks and the way he talks.

Just imagine a Montserratian speaking to his people as if he is a member of the house of lords.

Another head got the position through internal intrigue that caused a long-time worker to leave her post. It is no coincidence, that the departments with the fewest active union members come under the control of these three.

Those who they can frighten, threaten and influence are filled with negative ideas about the union. Their friends among the work-force are encouraged to come in and talk without any representation should they get into a little trouble.

They have also been quick to point out that some workers can be laid off knowing how willing and skillful other workers can be.

This lay-off mentality is subtly used as a weapon against those who allow others to do their thinking for them. Workers are openly set against each other and they are encouraged to come out of the union.

There is also that element in the workplace of those who aspire to be just like the ones who appear to rule the roost.

In order to reach that "elevated height", they too must practice all the dirty and conniving methods that the others employed in order to walk on the heads of their own people.

The result of this sell-your-own mentality has caused many workers to be suspicious of the union.

It is no small coincidence, that management always seems to be fully aware of all that goes on in the union no matter at what level that meeting takes place.

The legacy of slavery is ignored by the descendants of the slave system and the colonial overlords each for different reasons.

It is, however, the cause of all the woes we suffer, and the cause of all the benefits that the oppressors reap from exploiting us.

We are tied to a colonial education system, that prepares the majority of us only to serve and an elite minority to help perpetuate our own oppression.

The system prepares a functional illiterate class that is ill-prepared to handle the realities of oppression.

As they come out of the school system they are incorporated into a work atmosphere for which they have not been prepared.

Economic constraints and over-reaching debts then become the major factor in their reaction to the situations that control their livelihood.

Because of our inability to recognise the importance of vigilance in the workplace, our traitors sell us out and our oppressors gladly exploit us.

Due to our lack of honest leadership at the grassroots level, the once powerful and organized labour unions that brought the workers in this country the degree of comfort that they presently enjoy are in disarray.

MAWU, the largest organized labour movement in the country is structured improperly and places too much responsibility in the hands of MAWU's executive and not enough responsibility in the hands of its member organizations' executive.

Ongoing worker education to the realities of the workplace are ineffectual. This is mainly due to the workers' failure to recognize the importance of taking an active part in the affairs that control their lives.

Only during times of crisis or contract negotiations will the workers show some slight interest in the affairs of their unions. At all other times, the affairs of the unions are left to the traitors and the oppressors to twist and manipulate at will.

The workers have not yet come to the unified realization that there are two sides in operation in the system in which they work.

Management and their more aware lackeys, on the other hand, fully understand how the system works and keep it intact by any means necessary.

The labourer must begin to identify and separate the traitors in their midst. The entire community has to recognise that economic and social oppression exists and is applied daily in a cold and cruel manner.

The removal of the colonial system and the return of the english overlords to their icy homes is the next step in the correction of the legacy of slavery.

Only through independence will the proper foundation be put in place that will put the needs of the people first and allow us to determine our own destiny.

" Our position or the british government position is that they do not seek in any way to influence opinion in Montserrat on this important question.

We don't urge Montserrat to consider moving toward independence."

"Probably a lot of foreigners who live on the island, non- Montserratians who don't quite understand this rather anachronistic position, but the governor does have far more responsibilities."

"There are times, and there will always be times, when the governor will just have to act as he sees fit even if it's not in accordance with what the government of Montserrat wants."