In the early 20th century Queen’s Park, Bridgetown was the site of many formative events in the evolution of social justice in Barbados. The West Indian Royal Commission (Moyne Commission) held meetings in January 1939 in Queen’s Park to ascertain the cause of the 1937 “Labour Rebellion”. The historic value of Queen’s Park as a venue for the labour movement and social justice was gracefully expressed by the Right Excellent Errol Barrow when he stated that one of his most profound formative political experiences was listening to Marcus Garvey address the people of Barbados in the Queen’s Park Steel Shed in October 1937.
It is against this historic background that the Labour Department as part of it 75th anniversary celebrations will be hosting a series of events in the Queen’s Park Steel Shed and its surrounding environs from August 24 to September 9, 2015 under the theme “Return to Queen’s Park.”
The activities are as follows:
– Opening ceremony on August 24, 2015 at 9:00 a.m.
– A daily exhibit of the Barbados Museum and Historical Society “Riots in de Land”
exhibition – Monday to Saturday 10.00 am – 5.00 pm
– Seminars/Workshops =daily between 11.00 am and 2.00 pm. Click Here for Seminar Schedule.
– The distribution of brochures from the Safety and Health Section, Industrial Relations
Section and the National Employment Bureau
– The availability of a vacancy list for perusal by the public
– The stamping of cards of persons referred from NIS
– The opportunity to peruse the Unemployment Retraining Fund list of courses and submit applications
– Career/Employment counseling by Labour Officers
– A free theatrical presentation with performances by various local artistes on August 29th at 6.15 p.m. Tickets must be obtained from the Labour Department at Warrens or at Queen’s Park.
– A panel discussion on the role and impact of the Labour Department on September 9, 2015 at 7.00 pm
We invite you and the members of your family and your organization to attend the various activities during the aforementioned period and celebrate with us.