Russell sends damning resignation Social Share
As St Vincent and the Grenadines entered the last two weeks of May 1981, it was a veritable cauldron, seething and bubbling with dissatisfaction and unrest. Seven trade unions had met on May 18 to form a united front to mobilize the public to fight to stop two dread pieces of legislation tabled in Parliament by the government, the Essential Services (Amendment) Bill and the Public Safety and Public Order Bill.
The government had its back forced against the wall and its resort to legal repression only made matters worse. The joint trade union body, called the Committee in Defence of Democracy (CDD) was strongly supported in its mobilisation efforts by the United People’s Movement (UPM), which despite its setback in the 1979 elections had become the most effective political opposition to the governing Labour Party. Then, to make matters worse, respected local barrister Mr. Henry Williams resigned from the post as Chairman
A national umbrella formed to defend rights Social Share
We are coming close to the completion of the series to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the epic Peoples struggle of 1981 which forced the government of the day to back off from passing two very repressive pieces of legislation, termed the ‘Dread Bills”.
Last week we outlined the first of those bills, the Essential Services (Amendment) Bill, which sought to restrict the right of trade unions to take industrial action in furtherance of their just demands in the interest of workers. It was introduced into the House of Assembly a week after one of the most militant May Day celebrations for years.