7th IUF Caribbean Regional Conference to be held in Guyana this week

The Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) will host the 7th Caribbean Regional Conference of the International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers’ Associations (IUF), scheduled for March 26–27, 2026, in Georgetown.

The IUF, a global trade union federation representing approximately 10 million workers across 119 countries, will bring together some 50 trade unionists from across the Caribbean region and beyond for this important gathering. The Conference will serve as a key platform for reviewing the regional committee’s work since its last Conference in 2022, which was held in Antigua and Barbuda, and for setting priorities for the period ahead.

A central feature of the Conference will be the presentation of the IUF Caribbean Regional Secretary’s report by Clifton Grant, First Vice President of the University and Allied Workers Union (UAWU) of Jamaica. Delegates will also discuss strengthening regional collaboration and advancing workers’ rights in the Caribbean context.

The Conference will be attended by the IUF’s General Secretary (a.g.), Kristjan Bragason, who will be visiting Guyana for the first time since assuming office. His participation underscores the significance of the Caribbean region within the global labour movement.

Another major agenda item will be the election of a new IUF Caribbean Regional Committee, comprising representatives from affiliated unions across the region.

In the lead-up to the main Conference, several preparatory meetings have already been convened. These include sessions of the IUF Young Workers Committee, Women’s Committee, and the Caribbean Regional Committee.

Notably, the Young Workers Committee Conference was held on March 23, 2026, at GAWU’s Conference Room in High Street, Kingston, Georgetown, where young trade unionists examined the current state of the regional labour movement and outlined strategies for future engagement.