Activists challenge May Day restrictions

Social activist Lalu Hanuman is claiming that denying trade unionists the right to meet on May Day on Saturday is infringing on their rights.

Hanuman, who is the coordinator for the 13th of June 1980 Movement (Barbados), believes it is unfair that religious bodies can meet on Saturday with social distancing restrictions while trade unions cannot gather on what they consider to be the most important day on their calendar.

He made the comments while speaking at a virtual press conference earlier this week hosted by the Caribbean Movement for Peace and Integration.

Hanuman said due to the restrictions the body would be hosting a virtual May Day rally instead from 11 a.m.

“It is highly unfortunate that under the most recent COVID-19 directive which came out on Saturday that trade unionists cannot assemble, socially distanced of course, to celebrate the most important day in their calendar. At the same time, he added, there are no restrictions on people going to church on May Day.

“This in itself raises a fundamental human rights issue. Everybody should be treated equally before the law, there should be no special dispensation for religious people as opposed to trade unionists, and if religious people can meet freely as long as they socially distance on Saturday, May 1, I cannot see why trade unionists cannot also meet in the same way,” Hanuman contended.

“Barbados is a democracy, it’s not a theocracy…so I cannot understand why religious groups are being allowed to meet and trade unionists are not being allowed to meet. To me, that is a fundamental human rights issue and it raises serious Constitutional issues.”

General secretary of the Caribbean Movement for Peace and Integration, David Denny was in full agreement with Hanuman. He expressed disappointment that trade unions had been shockingly quiet on the matter.

“May 1 is not a Sunday School day, it is a very serious day for the labour movement and I want to say that I am hurt by the behaviour of the labour movement in Barbados because the labour movement in Barbados should be defending worker-class rights to assemble on May 1. Not one of the leading trade unions in Barbados has said anything about what is happening to working-class people. They just sit down there and accept it and it is unfair to the people of Barbados,” Denny maintained.

“If you can grant permission to the churches then you can grant permission to the labour movement so that the labour movement can organize its programme and respect the social distancing and at the same time join all of the workers of the world in celebrating one of the most important days for working-class people.” (RB)