Opposition Leader’s Labour Day Message
[Labour Day message/speech from Opposition Leader Jarion Richardson]
Good morning Bermuda, and Happy Labour Day!
What a beautiful sight to see so many Bermudians gathered here this morning. The skies may be cloudy, the march a little wet, but if there’s one thing about us as a people — we don’t let the weather keep us from showing up. And to be honest, I love that tank rain we had yesterday. With a family of four and water tanks that seem built more for rabbits than people, I welcome tank rain any time it comes.
But rain or shine, what matters most is being together — and I’m grateful to stand here with you today, honoured by your invitation to join this Labour Day celebration.
I want to thank the organisers, the Bermuda Trade Union Congress, and all the unions represented today for the kind invitation to join you. I also want to thank the families — because Labour Day is never just about workers alone, it’s about the children on shoulders, the young ones walking hand in hand, the grandparents who come year after year. It is about all of us together.
Now, I know this isn’t always the place people expect to see the Opposition Leader. But I take this invitation as a sign of respect — and I want to return that respect. Because Labour Day belongs to all Bermudians, and it reminds us that the progress of this country was not given, it was fought for, and it was earned.
So before anything else, let me simply say thank you. Thank you to those who marched before us, who sacrificed pay, comfort, and sometimes even safety, so that the rights we enjoy today could exist at all. Today is your day.
There’s year’s Labor Day Theme is: Labour is the Link, and it’s really talking about the extraordinary story of ordinary Bermudians.
We think of Dr. E. F. Gordon, the workers’ doctor, whose courage helped transform grievance into a movement — and whose name still reminds us that this square is sacred ground. We think of Adele Tucker and the teachers of 1919, who stood at a graveside and refused to let despair win, founding the Bermuda Union of Teachers so that children could have the future they deserved. We think of the Bermuda Workers’ Association of 1944, which stood up to the most powerful and said, “enough.”
We remember the BELCO strike of 1965, when workers refused to be invisible, and through hardship secured recognition that could no longer be denied. And we remember Ottie Simmons and the General Strike of 1981, when thousands marched together — teachers, hotel staff, bus operators, dockworkers, utility workers, people from every corner of Bermuda — proving that unity can move mountains that were the establishment and that the size of the fighter doesn’t matter so long as all fight together.
These are not just stories from the past. They are victories that tell us who we are. They are proof that when Bermudians stand together, we can shape our destiny. That is what it means when we say Labour is the Link.
And yet, brothers and sisters, the story is still being written.
Labour has never had as much influence, as much say, as much authority in Bermuda’s life as it does today. From the containers being off-loaded, to the inspections at our borders, to the permits that allow business to move, to the classrooms that shape our children, to the sanctuaries that guide our souls — labour is there. From the streets to the Cabinet, from the shop floor to the highest office, labour’s hand is on the wheel of Bermuda’s future.
And let us be clear — that was not given. That was earned. Earned through decades of struggle, sacrifice, and courage. You went from isolated pockets of besieged workers holding back injustice to shaping every commercial decision of worth in this island.
But with such influence comes an even greater responsibility. The question before us is not whether labour has power. The question is — what will labour do with that power?
Because we all know the workplace still has its imperfections: treatment of individuals, unsafe conditions, pensions not paid, outdated agreements. There is no such thing as a perfect job, a perfect employer, or a perfect workplace. That is why there will always be a role for unions. But beyond those shop-floor battles, Bermuda is calling for something more.
We are besieged not by forces we can negotiate with, but by forces that steal dignity from our people: the cost of living that crushes families, the gang violence that robs our young, the homelessness that now numbers more than a thousand of our fellow citizens, the Bermudians who cannot afford a roof, a doctor, or even healthy food.
And so, my brothers and sisters, I say this plainly: there is no solution to these challenges that does not involve labour. Indeed, in this moment, the only group with the unity and strength to bend the course of this country is you.
And here is the one truth I know about labour: there is no challenge you have not overcome, no mountain you have not climbed, no victory beyond your reach when you stand together. The same grit that built unions, that carried us through ’65 and ’81, is the grit that can confront these national crises.
When the history of this time is written, it will ask: what did labour do, not only for its members, but for all of Bermuda? And I believe the answer can be the same as it has always been: labour stood up, labour stepped forward, labour led.
Brothers and sisters, this is my last Labour Day standing here as Opposition Leader. And I cannot let this moment pass without saying how deeply grateful I am. Grateful for the welcome you have given me, even when we disagreed. Grateful for the chance to stand on this square — your square — and bear witness to a movement that has shaped the very soul of Bermuda.
We have not always walked the same road, but we are bound by the same destiny. Because the road to justice is never walked by one party, one union, or one government alone. It is walked by a people who believe in fairness, in dignity, in the worth of every worker and every family.
So I leave you with this thought: Labour is the Link. The link between the sacrifices of yesterday and the opportunities of tomorrow. The link between dignity at work and dignity at home. The link between courage in the union hall and hope in the community.
And let me tell you plainly — Bermuda cannot afford a divided future. All roads, whether red or blue, union or political, government or opposition — all roads converge on one sacred duty: to serve the people. All people. All the time.
So let us measure ourselves not by the power we hold, but by the burdens we lift. Not by the offices we occupy, but by the lives we improve. And when the question is asked — what did labour do in this time of crisis? — let the answer be thundered from Hamilton to Somerset to St. George’s: Labour stood up. Labour stepped forward. Labour led.
Brothers and sisters, you have built this island before. You can build it again. And if you do, if you rise to this challenge, you will inspire a New Bermuda — one of prosperity, of dignity, and of hope for every single Bermudian.
So from my heart, thank you for what you have done, thank you for what you are doing, and thank you in advance for what you will yet do. May we continue to stand together for unity, and for the future of this island we all love.
Happy Labour Day — and God bless you all.
