Bermuda's annual Labour Day holiday might be just a day off for some -- but for the pioneers who battled to win rights for the workers, it's a day steeped in history.

And to ex-Bermuda Industrial Union president Ottiwell Simmons, it's a chance to recall some long-fought battles and honour the individuals who struggled during the battle for organised labour.

"Labour Day is but one of many moments that stand out in my mind,'' he said.

"We had to labour very hard to get a Labour Day holiday.

"I think it took us about 18 years to get a Labour Day holiday in Bermuda. We started protesting and marching back in the 1960s and finally achieved it in 1982. The BIU mainly led the way and was supported by the PLP and other labour organisations.'' Initially, the Labour Day holiday was to be held in May, but Mr. Simmons said that the Government at the time did not support a spring date.

"The legislation was brought forward by the then-shadow minister for labour, Eugene Cox, and was drafted by Richard Hector for the PLP,'' he recalled. "It had called for the holiday to be on May 1 -- May Day. But because of the Communist connotations attached with May Day, the Government said no to it.

"A compromise was eventually reached between the UBP and the PLP where the first Monday in September would become Labour Day. From that time on we have had a Labour Day. It was just one of many accomplishments of the workers.'' Former BIU secretary general and executive officer Ira Philip said the last Labour Day of the twentieth century should be especially memorable.

"Labour Day this year should have special meaning to the workers of Bermuda, for it is the first time in history, and after a long struggle, that we have a Labour party in Government,'' he pointed out. "That is significant.'' Both Labour pioneers insisted that the meaning behind the holiday they worked so hard for was not becoming lost in modern-day Bermuda.

"I don't think that Labour Day is losing its effectiveness or its meaning,'' said Mr. Simmons. "I think if anything it is gaining.

"Labour Day is an acknowledgement of the labour force's contribution to the economy and Bermuda,'' he explained. "It is a chance for the workers to relax and enjoy the activities put on by the unions.

"It is an opportunity for management to say `thank you' for the contributions the workers make to their profits and it is a chance for the Government to say `thank you'. I don't think that it is losing its meaning.'' Mr. Simmons added: "It is important for people to pay tribute to our forefathers and recall the struggle and the oppression that pushed our forefathers' backs against the wall and forced them to fight back.

"Perhaps everyone in Bermuda does not know the full history behind the labour movement in Bermuda,'' he conceded. "As you get new generations, they have to learn what happened before them. People have to realise that they have a history worth learning and that it is an asset that will help them to avoid repeating the same mistakes.

"Not enough people will ever know about the whole history behind it, but Labour Day is a chance to recall it.'' And Mr. Philip said the modern-day pressures being placed on today's workers would force them to remember the importance of Labour Day.

"The new pressures labour finds itself under, like the trend towards the utilisation of part-time labour, redundancies, premature retirement and the abuse that is being made of expatriate workers right across the whole spectrum of Bermuda, will not allow them to forget,'' said the former senator.

"Workers who are aware of their circumstances will not want to forget the battle cries like `be watchful always'.'' And Mr. Simmons said no discussion about Labour Day would be complete without briefly remembering local Labour icon, Dr. E.F. Gordon: "I think Dr. Gordon was a hero and he's a great inspiration to me. You cannot help but think of him on Labour Day.'' The first Labour Day: The first Labour Day, in 1982, came after years of efforts to achieve a public holiday for workers. Thousands marched in the first Labour Day parade, shown above.

Ira Philip