By his own account, “hushing” his mouth is not something he is known for. On the other hand, speaking out has landed Caswell Franklyn in trouble all his life.The general secretary of Unity Workers’ Union, Barbados’ newest trade union, readily admits that throughout his life, his mouth and forthrightness have often cost him his job and earned him a reputation as a “troublemaker”. But it has also identified him as the defender of workers, on whose behalf he continues to campaign.From the day he left Combermere School, Franklyn’s problems with securing and keeping a job began.“As soon as I left school, I wrote applications to every business house in Barbados asking for a job and most would come back saying they have it on file; one or two would come back inviting me for an interview.”Determined to find some employment, he joined the Barbados Regiment and was assigned “odd jobs”. It was while “cutting down bush” at Regiment headquarters one day that he received a call for a job interview with a prominent Bridgetown company.The name Combermere on the application, which he had submitted long before, finally landed him the job as a customs clerk for the “pricely sum” of $350 a month, with the promise of a three-month probation, a discount card and salary increase at the end of the probationary period.He relates how three months later he received the discount card only. The fight to secure the salary increase was the catalyst that started Franklyn on his lifelong crusade for fairness for workers.Maintaining the link with the Barbados Regiment, he was one of the first successful recruits to be selected for membership of the Barbados Defence Force (BDF) and was sent abroad for training.That BDF stint was short-lived. There began the trail of difficulties with job retention which have plagued this avowed trade unionist ever since.“I always take what I do seriously and that always got me into trouble too.” He tells how his sharp tongue and diligent approach to the job as an Immigration Officer at the Grantley Adams International Airport led to repeated run-ins with superiors, subsequent disciplinary action and a transfer to a desk job in the department’s Bridgetown headquarters.Even there, trouble was not far away. His dogmatic approach to this job brought him yet another transfer after just 18 months.“They transferred me to the Inland Revenue Department and the day I walked into that department, I said ‘Good morning; my name is Caswell Franklyn’. This woman came out and said ‘I don’t want you in here. He is a lot of trouble’. She was loud and I was louder. Another transfer.” He was moved to the Price Control section of the Ministry of Agriculture in Bridgetown.“We used to issue price control licences. An old man came down there one day and offered me a bribe to do something for him. I had two nice paperweights that I had brought from the beach and somebody overheard me threatening him and reported me to the boss.”Once again he was moved – to the pricing section of the department.“Eventually I got transferred to the Ministry of Education . . . then I went to [the National Insurance Department].”Franklyn joined the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) and the Barbados Public Workers’ Co-operative Credit Union early in his Civil Service career and soon began serving the organisation as a volunteer.He also became a councillor with the NUPW, and was sent overseas for a short, intense training course in labour studies “that opened my eyes to trade unionism”.Franklyn was twice fired by the NUPW. He also encountered difficulty during his tenure with the Barbados Public Workers’ Co-operative Credit Union.He ventured into the political arena as a member of the Barbados Labour Party, but admits his outspokenness was the reason he was dropped from the National Council of the party. His became a familiar voice on the radio call-in programmes.He vows to work hard for the new union, lamenting that others “want me to do less than my best. Again I don’t know how to do that”.
