Primary legislation | Trade Unions and Trade Disputes Ordinance, 1959 (revised 2017) |
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International Labour Organization | |
Saint Helena has separate territorial status but is an ILO member via the United Kingdom | |
Convention declaration | |
Freedom of Association | 26 May 1966 |
Right to Organise | 17 Jun 1966 |
Trade unions in Saint Helena emerged in the late 1950s in the flax industry and subsequently played a prominent role in the island's democratisation in the 1960s. The Saint Helena General Workers Union was the island's sole trade union throughout the latter half of the 20th century. In the 21st century, workers are mostly organised in the public sector in staff associations for nurses, teachers and public servants.
In June 1958 the British Labour Party member of parliament, Cledwyn Hughes, visited the island and later reported to the Colonial Office that workers were living in "appalling poverty." [1] At a public meeting during the visit, discussion ensued on the need for a trade union. [2] The Saint Helena General Workers Union (SHGWU) was established on 23 July 1958 and on 22 September 1958 a strike launched at the Sandy Bay flax mill. [3]
In 1968, proposals to sell the island's largest commercial company, Solomon and Co., to a South African firm were met with demonstrations by the SHGWU. [4] The union was concerned that given the population's mixed heritage, sale to a South African firm would allow apartheid to emerge. [5] In 1973, the union's membership was reported at 1,100 – at that time around 20% of the island's population. [5]
In 2001, the Saint Helena General Workers Union was estimated to have 700 members. [6]
In 2013, during the construction of the Saint Helena Airport, workers went on strike over employment terms and conditions; it was reported as the first industrial action on the island in half a century. [7]
A trade union or labor union, often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages and benefits, improving working conditions, improving safety standards, establishing complaint procedures, developing rules governing status of employees and protecting and increasing the bargaining power of workers.
Saint Helena is one of the three constituent parts of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, a remote British overseas territory.
Saint Helena has a known history of over 500 years since its recorded discovery by the Portuguese in 1502. Claiming to be Britain's second oldest colony, after Bermuda, this is one of the most remote settlements in the world and was for several centuries of vital strategic importance to ships sailing to Europe from Asia and South Africa. Since the early 19th century, the British occasionally used the island as a place of exile, most notably for Napoleon Bonaparte, Dinuzulu kaCetshwayo and over 5,000 Boer prisoners.
New Zealand flax describes the common New Zealand perennial plants Phormium tenax and Phormium colensoi, known by the Māori names harakeke and wharariki respectively. Although given the common name 'flax' they are quite distinct from the Northern Hemisphere plant known as flax .
Jamestown is the capital city of the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, located on the island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is also the historic main settlement of the island and is on its north-western coast. Before the development of the port at Rupert's Bay, it was the island's only port and the centre of the island's road and communications network. It was founded when colonists from the English East India Company settled on the island in 1659 and was briefly occupied by the Dutch East India Company in 1673 before being recaptured. Many of the buildings built by the East India Company in the 18th century survive and give the town its distinctive Georgian flavour.
Cledwyn Hughes, Baron Cledwyn of Penrhos, was a Welsh Labour Party politician, usually associated with the moderate wing of the party. He was also regarded, particularly in later years, as a non-political figure of stature in Wales having held posts of importance in bodies such as the University of Wales.
Longwood is a settlement and a district of the British island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean.
The Saint Helena scrub and woodlands ecoregion covers the volcanic island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean. The island's remote location gave rise to many endemic species. First discovered and settled in the 1500s, the island has been degraded by human activities. Most of its native habitat has been destroyed, and many of its unique plants and animals are extinct or endangered.
Saint Helena Airport is an international airport on Saint Helena, a remote island in the south Atlantic Ocean, in the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha.
Trade unions in Ghana first emerged in the 1920s and have played an important role in the country's economy and politics ever since.
Saint Helena, Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha, as well the other uninhabited islands nearby, are a haven for wildlife in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. The islands are or were home to much endemic flora and fauna, especially invertebrates, and many endemic fish species are found in the reef ecosystems off the islands. The islands have been identified by BirdLife International as Important Bird Areas for both their endemic landbirds and breeding seabirds.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Saint Helena:
A series of workplace disturbances, strikes, and riots broke out across the British West Indies in the period between 1934 and 1939. These began as the Great Depression wore on and ceased on the eve of World War II. The unrest served to highlight inequalities of wealth, led the British government to attempt a solution to the problem, and in some cases spurred the development of indigenous party politics that would lead to self-government and independence in the postwar period.
Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha is a British Overseas Territory located in the South Atlantic and consisting of the island of Saint Helena, Ascension Island, and the archipelago of Tristan da Cunha. Its name was Saint Helena and Dependencies until 1 September 2009, when a new constitution came into force, giving the three islands equal status as three territories, with a grouping under the Crown.
The politics of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha operate under the jurisdiction of the government of the United Kingdom. The three parts of the territory—Saint Helena, Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha—effectively form an asymmetric federacy and collectively constitute one of United Kingdom's fourteen overseas territories.
Sanbetsu (産別) was a Japanese trade union centre between 1946 and 1958. When it was founded in 1946 it emerged as the main force in the Japanese post-war labour movement and led a campaign of militant strikes. However, it suffered a major backlash after only a few months in existence when a planned general strike was aborted. Internal divisions followed, and the organization was never able to recover its initial strength.
The Saint Helena Labour Party was a political party on the island of Saint Helena. The party was founded in 1974. Despite having a similar name to that of many left-wing parties across the world, the party advocated private enterprise as opposed to dependence on British economic aid and a supposedly government-dominated economy. It supported closer links with South Africa.
The Trades Union Congress (TUC) is a national trade union centre, a federation of trade unions that collectively represent most unionised workers in England and Wales. There are 48 affiliated unions with a total of about 5.5 million members. Paul Nowak is the TUC's current General Secretary, serving from January 2023.
The labour movement is the collective organisation of working people to further their shared political and economic interests. It consists of the trade union or labour union movement, as well as political parties of labour. It can be considered an instance of class conflict.
Trade unions in Saint Lucia first emerged in the 1930s. The St Lucia Teachers' Association was established in 1934 as a professional organisation. Following the formalisation of collective bargaining on the island in 1938, the Saint Lucia Workers' Co-operative Union was founded in 1939.