Trinidad and Tobago Labour Day

Tubal Uriah "Buzz" Butler

Labour Day

Declared a national holiday in 1973, Labour Day celebrated on June 19th is the anniversary of the day the Butler Oilfield Riots took place.

Formed because of the heightened awareness of ill-treatment on the sugar plantations and oilfields, was the first registered trade union in Trinidad and Tobago – Oilfield Workers Trade Union (OWTU). Instituted in the year that the Butler Oilfield Riots took place, 1937, the OWTU represented the rights of those in the petroleum industry.

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1937 to 1956 would prove to be an eventful time for a Grenadian born Tubal Uriah “Buzz” Butler, known to locals as “Comrade Chief Servant”. Within this period he was held responsible for many riots, some of which ended with fatalities.

He was being accused of inciting civil unrest and sedition. He would be imprisoned for a combined period of ten years but still managed to retain the support and favour of many.

In 1950 he form his own party for the general elections, called the Butler Party, which would have much success in the political circle.

Labour Day is much is attributed to Uriah, to the extent that he was awarded the highest honor, the Trinity Cross as well having Trinidad’s main highway being re-named in his honor.

Visitors wanting to catch a glimpse of this avid unionist can visit the Charlie King Junction in Fyzabad where a statue stands as a reminder to all.

Labour Day celebrations in Trinidad involve marches, commemorative ceremonies, rallies, cultural shows and more.