Bermuda will continue to observe Labour Day in September

TUESDAY, APRIL 17: Today, the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, the Hon. Patrice K. Minors, JP, MP, updated the public on result of the consultation process regarding the proposed date change of Labour Day from September to May. 



And Minister Minors confirmed that Bermuda will maintain its observance of Labour Day as the first Monday in September.

The public will recall that several weeks ago the Bermuda Trade Union Congress (BTUC) submitted a request to Minister Minors and the Premier, the Hon. Paula A. Cox JP, MP, for consideration of moving the holiday date to reflect the true recognition of International Workers’ Day (also known as May Day) on May 1st.



Information gathered as a part of a review suggests that the May Day holiday is observed in more than 80 countries and is a day when workers join together in celebrating the labour movement.

At the time of the submission, Minister Minors said she wanted to first consult with other key stakeholders for their input before the matter was put before her Cabinet colleagues for decision.

However, based on consultation with the Ministry of Education; the Ministry or Business Development and Tourism, the Chamber of Commerce; the Bermuda Employers Council; the Bermuda Hotel Association; the Association of Bermuda International Companies; the Construction Association of Bermuda; the Association of Bermuda Insurers and Reinsurers and the Bermuda Industrial Union; and the unquestionable reasons put forth opposing the date change, residents can be assured that Labour Day will continue to be celebrated in September.

Minister Minors said, “There was strong support for the proposal on behalf of the BTUC. However, it was necessary to seek consultation with those important entities in our community, who also have a vested interest in any change in date of the Labour Day holiday.


“While the Trade Union Congress’ view is relevant, in that the cultural and historical significance of May 1st represents the legacy of the struggle for equality and fair treatment for workers and workers rights, I had to take a wider and broader view of what kind of effect such a date change could have on our overall economy, our school system, our hoteliers and tourism product and of course our residents. Simply put the negatives outweighed the positives.”

TUESDAY, APRIL 17: As a member of the Labour Advisory Council, the Bermuda Employers’ Council (BEC) endorses the decision of Ms Minors, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry not to change the Labour Day Holiday from September to May 1st.

Among the BEC members views if we were to change the current date then: the Island would be closed for two business days when our International major trading partners would be open which is detrimental to the Island; there would be too many holidays in a short period of time between Good Friday and May 24th; there would be 4 public holidays plus 1 day for the Ag Show in 1 school term detrimental to the educational system; retail sales in May and September would be reduced; there would be the loss of the last traditional family outings and vacations before returning to school; there would be the loss of a Monday as a preferred holiday compared with May 1st occurring during the week; and, there would be too long a gap between July and November without a public holiday. Stastically, 97% of our members surveyed were against the change in dates.

The BEC believes there is ample opportunity for the trade unions to celebrate May 1st with other non-Western countries without it being a national holiday in Bermuda.

The BEC is the Island’s non-profit employer organization specializing in Labour Relations and Human Resource Management with over 350 members in all industries.