Those Holidays - M. Thomas

1. Indian arrival day- this commemorates the arrival in 1845 of the first sent of indentured workers who came to the Caribbean from India. The day, usually about May 5th, is marked in Jamaica but is a much bigger holiday in Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana as more indentured workers went to those countries than came to Jamaica

2. Whit Monday- celebrates the day of Pentecost and the birth of the Christian Church. It is a holiday in contirental Europe and in some Caribbean countries. 

3.Victoria Day (Empire Day)- Queen Victoria was the signing monarch when slavery was ended in 1834. Her birthday used to be celebrated in May as Empire Day. In 1961, Jamaica changed Empire Day to Labour Day. Labour Day is an international holiday to commemorate workers rights usually celebrated in May. In many countries, it is May 1st. In the USA , it is September 1. Jamaica's celebration of Labour Day goes back to the Labour uprisings of 1938 and exploitation of Jamaican workers preceding that.

4. Labour Day - it does appear that many Jamaicans  do not understand the real reason for commemorating Labour Day. Labour Day, as stated, is an international holiday. It recalls the achievements of the Labour movement - workers rights which the International Labour Organization (ILO) has worked to protect over many decades - living wages, shorter working hours, better conditions of work, the establishment of trade unions, right to join such unions, outlawing of child labour, etc. The ILO, is a UN organization which sets the international standards for the employment of workers, dealing with the protection of workers rights.. ILO was actually established in 1919. In the 1970s, PM Micheal Manley decided to put labour into labour day - voluntary work projects. Regretably the importance of labour day as it relates to workers rights and advancement seems to have been lost.

5. Important current Labour issue - lack of pension coverage in Jamaica. Articles appearing in the Gleaner recently indicate that 84% of employed jamaicans will have no pension on retirement.Currently few Jamaicans,  mainly those in the public sector will receive a pension. Only 9% of private sector workers are in pension plans and only 45% of employed persons pay NIS. This is being referred to as a crisis and yet has received little attention in the media and elsewhere. I do not believe it was mentioned Labour Day.

Regards,