Workers were urged to band together in unity yesterday when hundreds of people took to the streets to mark Bermuda's 21st Labour Day.

In a celebration of the ordinary worker, trade unions, employers, Government officials, men, women and children snaked their way around Hamilton in the annual Labour Day March, which started outside the Bermuda Industrial Union (BIU) office and came to a lively end at Bernard Park, where the event really got underway.

Despite the blistering heat, Gombeys danced, majorettes twirled and workers soaked up the atmosphere as leading labour leaders on the Island waited their turn to address the crowds.

And the message from all for the day, which was named Labour is Me, was clear: work hard, be industrious, be fair and be together - for the good of Bermuda.

Premier Jennifer Smith told the listening audience that yesterday was their day. And, in what could be described as a pre-election address, she said the Progressive Labour Party was there to represent the worker.

She said: “The development of the Bermuda Progressive Labour Party has been inextricably linked to the development of the labour movement.

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“The social and political advances made are the result of a partnership of mutual respect and understanding between this Government and the workers of Bermuda.

“Much has happened since our election to encourage you to take your eye off the issues. To forget your successes and the road you have travelled to this point.

“There is a temptation to direct your attention to petty things....to superficial things...to things that are not as important as the real issues that remain to be tackled.

“But I ask you today to let the word go forth that divide and conquer is an old tactic that will not work in the enlightened 21st century Bermuda.”

The Premier said since the PLP had got into power in November 1998, it had tackled the issue of immigration and work permits, as it had always promised to do.

However, she added: “Yes, there is one area where Government's efforts - while productive - have not yet been as fruitful as we would like.

“I speak of the fragile hospitality sector and I pay tribute at this time to the efforts of our partners in this regard, the unions and the hotel employers.”

But she said, “make no mistake”, tourism must be rescued.

“The existence of first class hotels is a vital part of the infrastructure that supports the finance sector,” added the Premier.

And she said workers, employers and Government had to work together to make the country successful.

“Remember, united we stand...divided we fall,” she concluded.

Members of the crowd sat and listened intently, many of them regular attendants of the Labour Day celebrations.

Gary Dowling, from Hamilton Parish, said he had attended every one and believed the day was more important now than ever.

He said: “I would say the crowds are a bit diminished on how they used to be, but people have it so good now they don't bother coming. They are lazy and complacent.

“It's important for us to remember the accomplishments of people in the past. This day is so very important.”

And while stall holders reported that business was picking up as the day progressed, one man, who did not wish to be named, said his stall had made very little.

He said: “The number of people coming here has gone down a lot. I remember a time when there would be five or six thousand at this. There were so many people you could not see the field. More people should come out.”

President of the BIU Derrick Burgess encouraged more people to come out, especially white workers, He said Labour Day was for them too.

And in his address he challenged all human resource managers to ensure that Bermudians who returned to the Island with qualifications, but no experience, were given a chance.

He said: “I want to throw out a challenge to the human resource people. I don't think you are taking your rightful place.

“(But) some of you are doing very good jobs. You have to devise a plan to to talk to your principals about how you are going to accommodate the children that are coming back from school with no experience, but qualifications.

“When we have 23 percent of the workforce on work permits, that should not be difficult to do.”

And Mr. Burgess praised workers in the hospitality industry for pulling together with the management to ensure that steps were staken to soften the blow of September 11 on Bermuda.

As a result, he said Bermuda had not been as badly affected as some of its competition in the tourism industry and said a new Collective Bargaining Agreement had been reached to the satisfaction of both management and workers.

Other speakers at the event were Leader of the United Bermuda Party Dr. Grant Gibbons and Government Ministers, along with Anthony Woolfe, president of the Bermuda Union of Teachers; Eddie Saints, of the Bermuda Employers Council; Maynard Dill, of the Bermuda Trade Union Congress; and Nigel Pemberton of the Bermuda Public Services Association.

And guest speaker of the day was top US mediator Bill Usery, who is a former US Secretary of Labour who held five presidential posts between the 70s and 90s.

He told how he was brought to the Island more than 20 years ago to mediate in a long-running and bitter dispute between the hotel workers and management.

And he said he was glad to be back in Bermuda to see relations between the two groups so much better.

Dr. Gibbons said everyone in Bermuda should mark Labour Day and be proud of their predecessors who worked tirelessly for decent rights.

He said: “On Labour Day we pay tribute to the generations of working men and women who built Bermuda.

“Their struggle for workers' rights was long and hard, and today we all benefit from the legacy of their commitment and passion.

“They created a standard of living that is the envy of the world, and today's workers carry on that tradition.”

But he said there were still many challenges ahead, and said he believed progress lay in partnerships, rather than in an “us-and-them” approach.

And he said steps must be taken to ensure that Bermudians did not get left behind when it came to skills, training and education.