45th Anniversary Of 1981 Labour Crisis
The upcoming 45th anniversary of the 1981 Bermuda General Strike will be marked with a community screening and tribute event, set to be held on Sunday May 3rd.
A spokesperson said, “This weekend marks the 45th Anniversary of the 1981 Labour Crisis which fortuitously led to a Peaceful Resolution. This legacy was achieved through ‘Out of the Box’ engagement by people across various sectors of the community.
“On Sunday, May 3rd at 6 pm there will be a free screening of the movie Victory: The Story of the General Strike 1981 at the Devonshire Recreation Club Hall. This Rick Richardson production provides an overview of the largest – ever civil strife in Bermuda, which – thankfully – concluded peacefully; pointing to the best of who ‘We’ are.
“While that weeks-long crisis involved unprecedented dangers, enough people of good will provided ‘Out of the Box’ engagement. On Sunday, May 3rd, in addition to the film, we will highlight some of those who exemplified those qualities. These include:
- “Dr Barbara Ball: The first local female doctor; who put aside the advantages of segregation and class privilege, to support working people represented by the BIU.
- “Canon Thomas Nisbett leveraged his role in the Anglican Church to co-chair the Striking Workers Families Support Committee in solidarity with strikers.
- “Rev Larry Lowe leveraged his role at St Paul AME to co-chair the Striking Workers Support Committee.
- “Police Sgt Campbell Simons facilitated a spontaneous unauthorized peaceful march through Hamilton by 200 strikers and supporters, rather than going by the book.
“The goal of this family-friendly infotainment is to promote awareness across the Island of our shared Legacy. This chapter involved a paradigm shift; fostering solidarity between so-called ‘blue collar’ and ‘white collar’ employees; as well as healing unintended rifts, remnants of the ’65 Belco Crisis.
“The Devonshire Recreation Club offers a most suitable venue, as it has been integral in the transformation of Bermuda during the latter 20th Century. Their leadership proved to be visionary – first Black club with floodlights; only club to have a library and homework club; involvement in attaining the Right to Vote and sanctuary for social progress.
“This event is being staged on the premise that to be human, everyone is always learning, looking back to draw out suitable lessons, as our community negotiates the challenges of 2026 and beyond.”
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