Hill 1

Zaria Hill
Nathan R. Dill
Preserving our Heritage
11 January 2016
Trade Unions in Bermuda, Promoting Solidarity
Although there were various attempts to put pressure on employers, trade unions
were not formed in Bermuda until 1919 when the Bermuda Union of Teachers was
formed. This union which combined with the Teachers Association of Bermuda and is
now called the Bermuda Union of Teachers. The union was the first attempt at improving
rights and conditions for teachers across Bermuda and promoting solidarity among
teachers. The Bermuda Industrial Union (BIU) was formed in 1946, it is a general union
made up of some divisions. Its membership is drawn from various industries, enterprises
and occupations throughout the Island. The trade unions were a catalysts to equality in
Bermuda.

On February 1st, 1919, Adele Evelina Johnson Tucker, Matilda Mattie Crawford
and Edith Crawford were the founders of The Bermuda Union of Teachers (BUT). Also,
it was Bermudas first union and was the first to register in 1947. It was organized under
the banner of the Status of Womens Committee of the Caribbean Union of Teachers
(CUT). Unfortunately, the teachers of the aided colored schools were not paid for
children that they did teach but the teachers of white schools were paid for children that
they did not teach. This was the most sinful violation on the rights of teachers.

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Even though the members of the trade unions were mainly black or working class
employees, there were no barriers to any workers of any race or gender joining the
unions. For example, one of the most famous members of the BIU was Dr. Barbara Ball,
a white female medical doctor. Upon returning to Bermuda in 1954 with a good future,
financial prospect, she was troubled by the racial and economic inequalities and devoted
a large portion of her life to help the cause of all workers. When she joined the BIU in
1961, Dr. Ball lost her privileges at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital in 1964 because
of her union activities. From 1968 to 1972, she was a Progressive Labor Party Member of
Parliament to be in the position of the Chairman. Dr. Ball served the regular Sunday as an
organist during church services. One Sunday, in the pre-1959 era, the all-white choir
members refused to sing if she remained as organist, and Dr. Ball stepped down as
organist. Dr. Ball is an iconic figure in Bermudas history. She was a woman before her
times.

During the 1960s, the BIU began to mature sending officers overseas for training
and actively recruiting members. In 1965, an important turning point in the history of
trade unions in Bermuda was when the BIU called on Bermuda Electrical Light Company
(BELCO) to accept them as a bargaining agents. This dispute between the union and
Belco eventually resulted in the worst strike in Bermuda. The strike ended when the
Belco management agreed to negotiate with which ever union the majority of Belco
workers were a member of. Following this event, the number of members of BIU
increased considerably. At the same time, relations between union and management

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improved considerably and the number of collective agreements between unions and
company increased.

A Brief Synopsis on the History of the Bermuda Union of Teachers. N.p., n.d. Web. 16
Oct. 2015.

The Bermudian.com. Tina Stevenson, n.d. Web. 16 Oct. 2015.

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Zuill, W. S. The Story of Bermuda and Her People. Third ed. Carribean: Macmillan
Limited, 1999. Print.