Trade Union Leader and 'Red Sky': 1950-1951
Eric Gairy returned to Grenada from Curacao in December, 1949 to enter trade unionism and politics. In 1950 he founded the Grenada Manual, Maritime & Intellectual Workers' Union (GMMIWU) and was deeply involved in encouraging the 1951 general strike for better working conditions, this sparked great unrest - so many buildings were set ablaze that the disturbances became known as the 'red sky' days - and the British authorities had to call in military reinforcements to help regain control of the situation. Gairy himself was taken into custody.
Read more about this topic: Eric Gairy
Famous quotes containing the words trade union, trade, union and/or leader:
“No king on earth is as safe in his job as a Trade Union official. There is only one thing that can get him sacked; and that is drink. Not even that, as long as he doesn’t actually fall down.”
—George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950)
“People run away from the name subsidy. It is a subsidy. I am not afraid to call it so. It is paid for the purpose of giving a merchant marine to the whole country so that the trade of the whole country will be benefitted thereby, and the men running the ships will of course make a reasonable profit.... Unless we have a merchant marine, our navy if called upon for offensive or defensive work is going to be most defective.”
—William Howard Taft (1857–1930)
“Let’s have the Union restored as it was, if we can; but if we can’t, I’m in favor of the Union as it wasn’t.”
—Artemus Ward (1834–1867)
“To be a leader of men one must turn one’s back on men.”
—Havelock Ellis (1859–1939)