Today is Labour Day in Trinidad and Tobago. Labour Day marks an uprising in 1937, that is seen as the beginning of the modern trade union movement in Trinidad and Tobago.
While there had been some efforts to create a movement to support workers in Trinidad and Tobago in the early part of the twentieth century, progress had been slow and sporadic.
On 18 June 1937, workers at the Butler Oil fields began a strike against the inequality of earnings from the oil industry. Police tried to arrest the leader of the strike, Tubal Uriah ‘Buzz’ Butler on 19 June. This led to riots which resulted in the deaths of nine workers and two policemen. Butler went on the run from the authorities, giving himself up in September 1937 and spending two years in prison. The riots were seen as a precursor to the creation of the Oilfield Workers Trade Union (OWTU), which became the first registered trade union in the country. The riots also led to a 1939 commission headed by Lord Moyne which attempted to investigate the causes of the riots and suggested recommendations to ensure that events wouldn’t be repeated.
Butler, a Grenadian immigrant, went on to form his own political party in the 1950’s and his efforts to improve rights of workers led to him being awarded the Trinity Cross, the nation’s highest honor. As well as having a major highway named after him, a statue of Butler stands at the Charlie King Junction in Fyzabad, the place where the police tried to arrest him in 1937.
Today is the birthday, in 1950, of Ann Wilson, lead singer of the American rock band Heart who scored the 1987 US No.1 & UK No.3 single ‘Alone’. Heart has sold over 35 million records worldwide. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeMvMNpvB5M
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