Labour Day Has
Changed. In the past, Labour Day held
greater significance, you would see men, women and children smartly attired
their pride on full display. It was a
day of Freedom, when unions took their issues to the street . Despite the fun they surely had, the issues of the day, were foremost in
their minds. They were principled and
conscientious, today many of us are not as concerned with issues that are not
directly impacting us, but back them, they were unified and despite the risk,
they were prepared to speak out. Case in
point, in 1962, the workers of this nation stood in solidarity with those who
were unemployed in an unemployment march, today, the unemployment rate is 14.8%
(Department of Statistics 2015 Labour Force Survey), but
many of us who are employed, have little concern for the suffering of our
unemployed brothers and sisters.
Lillian Wier-Coakley Library
Many times historic information cannot be found online, I encourage you to visit your local public library. I researched this topic at the Lillian Wier-Coakley Public Library on Baillou Hill Road at the foot of C. R. Walker Senior High School. I also wish to thank the staff, namely Shonley L. Cartwright, Flora Fernander and Genesta Stuart for their assistance.